The Doorway Final Version
by Martin70
Summary: The Vorlon built Jumpgate to Thirdspace was gone, but the energy unleashed opens a gash in Spacetime, creating a wormhole to somewhere unexpected...How will Sheridan and the others cope with this new turn of events? Read this story to find out! -Discontinued for a rewrite! Yes... again... P Newly reimagined story will be out soon!
1. Prelude: Breaches In Reality

**The Doorway Version 3 Final Version Fully Revised and Edited.**

**The Doorway 3.0**

DISCLAIMER: Babylon Five and Star Trek are the Property of their prospective owners. I do not own either of them and I am not receiving any money for this story. This story is public domain. Anyone who wants to post it on their own website is welcome too. Just drop me a line so I can check out your archives myself! lol.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a revised story, from my first attempt. I've given this a great deal of thought and decided to completely revise the story to do several things: One, to make it more consistent, Two, to add more detail and depth to the story, and Three, to just make the story better all the way around. Some things are going to be moved, deleted or added to, to make the timeline more accurate. I've added a LOT more detail about different characters in the story. Delenn will be at B5 this time around as she was in the show. I've tweaked the timeline a little bit as to when Thirdspace takes place. Marcus will be gone. (He wasn't in Thirdspace.) Instead he will arrive in time to be sent to Mars with Franklin. Lyta Alexander will play a much bigger role in this version. She was mostly overlooked in previous versions of the story and I wanted to reflect her reactions to the Doorway as it opens a Wormhole to the ST Universe. A few interludes in the form of flashbacks will also be added to give more insight about the characters and why they react to certain things as the story progresses. I just hope you all enjoy the changes and I DO want feedback! Thank you all for your comments. They have gone a LONG way in helping me flesh out this story. A Special thanks goes out to the following writers: Skeet (Albert Green Jr.) for his comments and suggestions. WMD Minor +2 and Zarathos, for their comments and helping me focus the story so it is more consistent. LightningCount for his technical expertise in both Universes of technobabble! For their comments on the story and encouragement to make it a good one: AJW, Hyperion51, and Gyre.

EXTRA SPECIAL THANKS: Lastly I want to thank Robo Jesus for sticking to his opinions despite great criticism from the vast majority of writers on the various websites he's posted on. Even if you don't agree with what he has to say, you have to give him respect for sticking to his views. He has a right to them the same as anyone else. Flaming can be a good motivator to writers. It gets their creative juices flowing most of the time and helps us to keep our stories consistent, thank you Robo Jesus for that. Flames are welcome! lol.

SUMMARY: (Same as always…) The Vorlon-made Gate blows up on schedule, but instead of destroying the portal to the Thirdspace domain it just destroys the gate itself, ripping space-time to shreds in the process. While the Thirdspace ships are cut off from the B5 universe, a hole in reality now exists near the station…

Now on with the story!

**PRELUDE: Breaches In Reality**

**Babylon 5's Observation Deck**

Lyta Alexander watched as the Gate was destroyed by Sheridan's Nuke. When the debris cleared, she could see an angry red nebula had replaced it. She screamed "NO!" and fainted dead away…

**B5: Zocalo**

Vir held his jaw tenderly. He couldn't understand how he had one moment been in the transport tube talking to Ivanova, to the next moment fighting with Zack Allen in the Zocalo. "What's happening? Why are you hitting me?" he asked Zack with a scowl.

"Sorry Vir, but you were attacking ME!" Zack replied.

"I don't understand…" said Vir. "I was just talking to Ivanova a moment ago in a transport tube…"

"Things have been crazy ever since that Gate was activated. Come on, I'll take you to Medlab so you can have your jaw checked out and have my hand checked too. What's your jaw made of anyway? Felt like I hit a steel wall…" said Zack shaking his hand and inspecting it for cuts. He noticed a tear in his new uniform. 'Great now I'll have to have this thing fixed. Maybe I'll ask them for a refitting, it doesn't seem to fit my shoulders right.' he thought.

"It has to do with our homeworld's gravity. Our bone structure is very dense." Vir supplied helpfully.

"Remind me not to try that again, without a crow bar!" Zack joked.

"I'll be sure to remember you said that, Mr. Allen. IF there IS a next time…" muttered Vir, now holding his jaw again. "That really HURT!"

"Come on you ninny…" replied Zack with a smile.

"What's a 'ninny'?" asked Vir with an utterly strait face…

**B5 Space**

John Sheridan tumbled in space, his space suit was all there was between him and oblivion, and its power was almost gone after getting away from the gate's blast range. He turned himself around with a short burst to see what was left of the Gate.

He prayed that it was closed and no more of those strange ships were going to come through it. Only a few ships of his fleet remained to defend the station if that were the case. To his dismay the gate was gone, but a strange vortex of energy now remained in its place.

He tapped his Link. "Sheridan to C&C." John gasped.

"Online." Lt. Corwin replied.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing? What the hell is that?"

"We're having trouble scanning the area that the gate occupied Captain. Our readings are completely scrambled, all we are picking up are power readings that are off the charts!" Corwin relayed.

"Warn all remaining ships to stay clear of that area. We don't want to lose any more ships than we already have today." Sheridan ordered.

"Already done. We barely had to ask them." replied Corwin.

"Good, where is Delenn?" he asked.

"She's on the Drala Fi. I'll patch her through." said Corwin.

"John, are you enjoying yourself?" Delenn laughed.

"Delenn, this is NOT funny…" said Sheridan.

"Yes it is…" Delenn laughed again.

"No it's NOT! Can you pick me up?" he asked.

"I'm afraid I cannot. I'm overdue on Minbar. Perhaps you can ask Susan?" Delenn replied.

"I wish you'd tell me why you have to go now. Can't it wait?" Sheridan asked.

"I'm afraid not John. My clan has asked to speak with me, I cannot refuse them." she said, giving him more information without realizing it.

"Okay, but please keep me informed if you can. You ARE the Minbari Ambassador after all." John said.

"I will, John. If I can." was all Delenn was willing to say.

The Drala Fi opened a Jump point and left B5 space.

"Sheridan to Whitestar Two." he said.

"Here Captain." replied Susan.

"I need a ride ASAP!" Sheridan ordered.

"On my Captain, are you okay?" Ivanova replied.

"So far so good, but I am running out of air. I'll meet with you as soon you can pick me up. Are you getting any reading on that anomaly where the gate used to be?" asked Sheridan.

"All I can say is it's BIG! None of the Minbari on board know what to make of it. I've got the Minbari on board analyzing the data now. they'll brief you when we pick you up."

"Okay Susan, but make it soon, I'm getting colder. The Suits power is almost completely drained now. Sheridan out." John said as he began shivering. It was really getting cold.

Ivanova quickly moved in and retrieved the captain and helped him out of his suit.

"I forgot how much fun these things are." Sheridan said. Sarcasm was dripping off every word.

"It's not like you never wear them, you did recently 'take a walk outside' after all." Susan laughed.

"True, but I had plenty of power and oxygen on that walk. That I can handle, not being tossed around like a Frisbee after that explosion. How are the Minbari doing on those readings I asked for?" Sheridan hoped they were up to the task.

"They should have a preliminary report for you when we get to the bridge. Are you feeling okay? You really took a beating when that Gate blew." said Susan concernedly.

"I'll be fine, I was clear enough that I only had the wind knocked out of me. Shall we get going or do you want to read me the riot act for pulling that stunt?" Sheridan smirked.

"Hey! It's not THAT funny, we could've lost you to that thing. Then I'd have to run Babylon 5 and you know I don't want that particular duty. I'd end up spacing half the diplomats for aggravating me and shooting the other half on general principles." laughed Ivanova.

Grinning from ear to ear, Sheridan led the way up to the bridge.

A Minbari was waiting patiently, as they entered. LeVar was of the Worker Caste and assigned to Navigation and Engineering aboard the Whitestar Two. He was seriously thinking of joining the Rangers since he had come here. He had learned much so far and was looking forward to learning more while on board this new class of ship.

"Greetings Captain, I'm still working on the details, but I can report that anomaly is different from anything The Minbari Federation, the Earth Alliance, or for that matter anyone I know of has ever seen before. Maybe the Vorlons could've shed some light on what we're seeing, but I doubt they will come back from beyond the Rim to help us. The anomaly is putting out all kinds of energy readings, none of them appear to be harmful though, thank Valen. Our best guess as to what it is, given the fact that the Gate was open when you blew it up, is that it's some sort of doorway to someplace else…" said LeVar.

Sheridan nodded. "That makes sense, but a doorway to where? I hope no more of those ships come through it! The last thing we need right now is another fight on our hands. We'll have our hands full cleaning up the mess outside the station as it is, not to mention the station itself."

"I wish I could be more helpful Captain, but I'm still trying to make sense of these readings. Maybe if we tied all the ships and B5's sensors together we could get more accurate and detailed readings, but it's a long shot. My Worker class training may not be up to the task."

"Well do the best you can LeVar. I know I can count on you." Sheridan acknowledged.

LeVar bowed respectfully and returned to the Navigation Station.

---------------------

**Vulcan Space: Near orbit of Valdena, Third Planet of that system.**

The USS T'Pol of the Vulcan Defense Force was on routine patrol of the inner planets. As she began to pass Valdena, the Colony called them to report that a strange phenomenon had appeared in near orbit.

"Captain T'Fal, a Reddish Nebula has appeared near our planet. Our power readings are off the scale. If they are correct a rip in the Space-Time Continuum has occurred." reported Governor Sarrid.

"We will investigate. Thank you for bringing this to our attention Governor." replied T'Fal.

"It is my duty. Please keep me informed of this event as it unfolds. Sarrid Out."

"Mr. Makol, set course for this anomaly. Mr. Sorik, prepare a sensor probe." ordered T'Fal.

Momentarily they reached the Anomaly. "Scans indicate a Wormhole Captain, on a scale unheard of before. There is debris around the anomaly that appears to have come from several vessels. Some of it is Organic in nature." reported Ensign Savla.

"Analyze the debris. Can you determine a point of origin?" asked T'Fal.

"Negative Captain, the debris does not conform to any known vessel. Captain, the Quantum Signature of the debris does not match our own. The debris appears to be from another universe, make that two Universes. The Organic Debris differs from the metals present." Savla said, one eyebrow going up.

"Interesting, forward your analysis to the Vulcan Science Directorate and Starfleet Command for further study. Mr. Sorik, Launch the probe. Have it enter the wormhole and scan the other side. When it is finished, have it return here." T'Fal ordered, firmly quelling her emotions with cold Vulcan Logic.

"Probe's parameters set, launching." replied her First Officer, Sorik.

The Probe promptly began scans and entered the wormhole…

**B5 Space: Whitestar Two**

For several hours Sheridan and Ivanova supervised the clean up operation around Babylon 5, while being sure to have everyone steer clear of the new anomaly not far from the station.

It's too bad we couldn't pull the gate further away from the station before I blew it up! thought Sheridan. I'd feel much easier and safer if that had been the case. As it is, the station looks way too close for my comfort!

"It's going to take several more days to clear this much debris Captain, but we do have a clear corridor now between B5 and the Jumpgate." Ivanova said.

"Widen that corridor as much as you can Susan. We need B5 back in business ASAP if we're going to remain independent. Commerce with the League of Non-Aligned Worlds is our main life line at the moment. If we lose that, we lose everything." Sheridan ordered.

"Yes sir, I'm confident that we can resume normal docking procedures with incoming ships within about an hour. Routing for so many ships is going to be fun for a while though." Susan replied.

"Just do the best you can. I'm counting on you." smiled Sheridan.

"Not a problem sir. I'll just being jumping out the nearest airlock if you need me." Susan joked.

"Ha, Ha, Susan, do you have anything new to report LeVar?"

"Nothing as yet Captain. One moment please, getting something strange now. Captain! Energy spike! It appears that something is coming through the opening!"

"Show me!" shouted Sheridan.

The Holo Matrix unfolded to display the space around Whitestar Two. They all stared towards the anomaly in dismay. Something was coming through the doorway. Something small… but what was it? A scout for invasion? Or more of the Thirdspace Aliens seeking revenge…?

TBC

Author's Note: I know this is kinda short, but it IS a prelude after all. LeVar is my own creation. I hope you'll like him and I'll add more detail on him as the story unfolds. A side plot of his Ranger training may be added to the story along with his point of view about things as they occur on B5 and Minbar.

What do you think of the changes? Feel free to comment on the changes and flames are welcome!


	2. Chapter One: Revelations

**Chapter One: Revelations**

Captain Jean-Luc Picard restlessly rolled over in his bed and tried to find a more comfortable position. His mind raced through the many events of the last few weeks.

The faces of William Riker and Deanna Troi, Data and Shinzon floated in front of his mind's eye, the events that surrounded them playing out again and again as he tried to sleep… as the tried to find peace.

Shinzon, his evil twin… a clone, came forward screaming at Picard, his killer. A sadness filled Picard. Shinzon was very much the victim of circumstance. The result of a botched Romulan plan, Shinzon was created to take Picard's place and plunge the Federation into war with the Klingon Empire. The plan was scrapped after a change in Romulan politics. Shinzon had been just a young boy in appearance when he was summoned to a secret meeting to decide his fate. The Romulans decided he would live… as a slave in the Mines of Remus, Romulus' sister planet. It was a long time before he saw the stars again. During the Dominion War he had proved his value as a warrior and a commander and he used all the skills ha had been originally groomed for to their logical conclusion. He over through the Romulan Empire in one fell swoop and became its leader overnight. At Shinzon's request, Picard and the Enterprise were quickly dispatched to Romulus to investigate the change in power and to open negotiations. It was a trap. Shinzon wanted Picard for his blood. To save his own life, Shinzon needed a complete infusion of Picard's blood, all of it… To further complicate things, Shinzon planned to invade the Federation and to destroy the Federation's heart, Earth, via his secret Thalaron Radiation weapon. Only by the quick thinking of the Enterprise crew and a good deal of luck had Shinzon been defeated, but the cost had been high. The Enterprise had been crippled, many of her decks exposed too space and she had lost more of her crew as well. One loss in particular came to mind as he tossed and turned.

Data, Why was it so hard to accept that Data was gone? Data had been a never-ending source of amusement, sometimes bemusement, and most often inspiration. Many times Data's views had helped to temper Picard's actions and decisions. He had come to rely on Data a great deal as a sounding board. Now that lifeline was severed and adding to the mix was the presence of B-4, Data's brother and apparently he and Lore's precursor in Soong's research. All in all, B-4's existence was helping Picard in his acceptance of Data's death, but he was no sounding board… at least he wasn't yet. Data had downloaded his memories into B-4 with the hopes that B-4 would be able to assimilate them. This was working, but not in the way Data had anticipated. Instead of having instant recall of Data's life and experiences, B-4's Positronic Net had placed the memories in a kind of buffer to prevent a cascade failure. B-4's Net WAS absorbing the knowledge, but it was doing it at a rate that it could handle, creating the necessary pathways as the Matrix grew, almost like a living brain would develop. It was an amazing thing to watch according to LaForge. Yes, thought Picard, Data may be gone, but his legacy lives on…

With that final thought, Picard fell into a more restful, less troubled sleep.

"_Captain's Log, Stardate 57502.3_

_The Enterprise is finally about to leave Spacedock after an extensive repair and refit. After our altercation with Shinzon and given the repair time that Mr. LaForge had reported, Starfleet decided that the Sovereign Class was due for a review and after looking over current technology vs what was available during the Class' inception a full refit was offered to me. Stronger shield generators, Ablative Armor, and the latest Phaser upgrades have been added to the vessel. In addition to this the Warp Nacelles have been slightly realigned and upgraded to assist with the use of a stable Slipstream Drive. We will be testing this new form of FTL shortly. Lt. Commander Harry Kim, formerly the Operations Officer aboard the USS Voyager, has supervised the project with the help of Annika Hansen and B'Elanna Paris. While his current assignment aboard the Enterprise is temporary, I hope to offer him a more permanent position soon, IF I can manage to pull him away from Admiral Janeway. She watches over her old crew like a mother hen… with teeth."_

Picard smiled at the thought of his last comment as he sat in his ready room. "Computer, delete last sentence."

"_My new First Officer, Martin Madden is eager to get underway. I look forward to "breaking him in" when we are deemed space-worthy once again. The time we've spent in Spacedock has given me a good look at his performance under unusual conditions. I look forward to evaluating his performance once we are underway."_

Martin Madden was young for a First Officer, but the Dominion War had taken its toll on the Federation in lives and older, more experienced crew. Madden had passed through a crucible during the war, taking command of a ship after most of her bridge crew was killed by enemy fire. He had managed to get the warp drive back online and disabled the Jem'Hadar's with a precise Phaser blast so his ship could escape the elaborate ambush that one of the Vorta had apparently set up. Knowing when to retreat so as not to be slaughtered was a trait Starfleet captain's sometimes lacked. For his actions he was given the Federation Medal for Valor.

"_We have also been granted a special dispensation by the Romulan Star Empire to use cloaking devices when exploring new space, an extension of the clause granting the Defiant permission to use its cloaking device when in the Gamma Quadrant. It is hoped that this will help us avoid any new wars in the immediate future."_

Picard grimaced at the thought of war. Shinzon had nearly plunged the whole quadrant into another war. Would the Federation ever really know peace again, or would it only find itself locked into a never ending cycle of war.

"_The new Romulan Senate has made overtures of peace with Vulcan as well. Perhaps Spock's dream of reunification will be seen in his lifetime after all. If so, the Romulan Empire may well cease to exist as it is absorbed into the Federation, something that not so long ago was thought to be impossible."_

Picard fervently hoped that the transition, IF it occurred, would be an easy one. But then, nothing ever seemed to be that easy in real life.

"Computer, end Log. Transmit log to Starfleet." commanded Picard.

"Transmitting, Log sent." replied the computer.

He rose from his desk chair and headed toward the Bridge exit door.

On the bridge Commander Martin Madden was seated in the Captain's chair reviewing staff reports as they came in. He had a slight smile on his face as he read. At five feet ten inches with sandy clean cut hair and boyish good looks, Madden struck quite a pose for anyone looking his direction. He was a lean one-hundred eighty pounds, all of it muscle. He reminded Jean-Luc of Riker when he first came onboard the Enterprise-D. He looked up when Picard entered the bridge and promptly stood up as Picard came towards him. Picard waved him back down and spoke. "I'm just passing through Number One. I've been asked review some new simulations for the Slipstream Drive by Mr. Kim. If all goes well, we'll be departing in hour for Deneb."

"Very good sir, I've heard we'll get there in days instead of weeks using the new drives." said Madden.

"Yes, it will revolutionize star travel. If it works as advertised, the galaxy just got a great deal smaller." replied Picard with a rueful smile.

Madden nodded. "I believe Mr. Kim is in Holodeck Three."

"Thank you Number One, you have the bridge." said Picard as he headed toward the turbolift.

Madden took a moment to review the members of the bridge crew as they worked their shift.

Ensign John J. Thomas sat at the helm, running final diagnostics and plotting a course for Deneb. He had served with distinction during the Dominion War under the command of Admiral William Ross at Starbase 375 and he was from Alpha Centauri as well. A clean cut well mannered man with blonde hair, Thomas topped out at six feet in height and weighed a reasonable two-hundred pounds He requested this posting to get his feet wet, so to speak, by piloting a Sovereign Class ship for the first time. Picard made a mental note to keep an eye on the 25 year old helmsman.

At Tactical, the Enterprise's Third Officer, Lt. Commander Tyler C. Lyson was also preparing the ship for departure. A full blooded Betazoid, Lyson had the dark hair and eyes typical to the species. He was someone Picard felt would really come in handy in the days ahead. His telepathic skills would prove most valuable. After the fall of Betazed and during its short occupation, Lyson had led a resistance cell against the Dominion forces stationed there. He nearly single-handedly destroyed a full platoon's worth of Jem'Hadar. Because of this Picard made him his chief tactical officer. He was quite the imposing figure standing at six feet five inches tall and weighing in at nearly two-hundred seventy-five pounds.

At Ops sat, Lt. Daala, a Bolian of medium build his blue skin glistening as the ship's lighting was cast on it. Daala had transferred from the USS Armstrong. He had managed the get that ship's shields up after it was ambushed by Klingons during the last short war with them. The Armstrong had then limped to DS-9 for medical aid. His heroic acts in the face of incredible odds had earned him a promotion and the Federation Medal of Valor. Madden took comfort that Daala was so capable an officer.

A noise at Science Station One drew Madden's attention. Sitting in the chair in front of the station was the latest addition to the Enterprise's crew roster, Ensign James P. Kirk. The ensign was the grandson of Peter Kirk; Captain James T. Kirk's nephew. Madden rose from the Captain's chair and walked around to stand behind the young ensign.

"Is there a problem Ensign Kirk?" Madden asked.

The young ensign turned with a startled look to his commanding officer. His features were so much like his Great Uncle's that he sometimes was the butt of practical jokes. "Wha! No sir! I apparently entered an incorrect command code and the station shut down on me. It's fine now Commander." He gushed.

Madden nodded and glanced at the station's screen. "What are you working on?"

Kirk blushed and stammered out. "It's nothing important sir. I decided to review some of my namesake's logs while the diagnostic on the main sensor array was running." On the screen was displayed a record of the incident that had killed the Ensign's great grandfather and grandmother, Samuel and Aurelan Kirk.

Madden was curious himself. "Send a copy of that to my display Ensign. We're heading in the general direction that those things that killed your family came from. We may encounter more of them and we should be prepared for it. Nicely done, Kirk."

Needless to say the young Kirk was flabbergasted. His motives weren't to find potential hazards on their upcoming mission. They were more mundane than that, but he wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to gain some praise from his peers. He nodded to the Commander and began to do exactly what the Commander had actually recommended between the lines. He pulled a search engine and began researching potential threats along the path that the ship was to take on its way to Deneb. AFTER sending the log about the Neural Entities that had killed his family of course.

Madden had just returned to his seat when LaForge's voice came to him over the intercom. "LaForge to bridge."

"Go ahead Mr. LaForge." Replied Madden to empty air.

"We're as ready as we'll ever be down here. We're just waiting for Mr. Kim's final adjustments before we can get underway." reported the Chief Engineer.

"Thank you Mr. LaForge. The Captain is on his way to Holodeck Three now to see about just that very thing. Bridge out." said Madden. After so much time in dry dock, he was eager to get underway.

**Holodeck Three**

Lt. Commander Harry Kim reviewed his findings for a third time and turned to B-4. "It looks good to me. What do you think?"

B-4 nodded slightly without really noticing. "I concur. The last set of figures you entered improved the performance ratio of the new drives by five point seven six three percent. I believe we have reached the maximum efficiency rate for this particular drive unit."

Kim smiled and said. "Let's tell the captain."

"Let's tell the Captain what?" asked Picard as he entered the Holodeck.

"We're finished testing the new drive's performance. We're ready for a live test, sir." replied Kim formally.

"That's good to hear, Lt.. Please report to Engineering with your adjustments so we can get started." said Picard. He turned to B-4 and momentarily his eyes glazed over. The first time he had met Data was on a Holodeck, he remembered. He also remembered a very wet and young Wesley Crusher. He came back to reality and spoke. "Are you enjoying yourself B-4? I hope you have found this experience an interesting one."

"I do not understand what you mean by "enjoying myself" Captain, but the experience has been "Interesting" as you put it. May I accompany Mr. Kim to Engineering?"

"Of course, I was going to suggest it in fact. You have seemed to gained most of Data's abilities in the Engineering sciences. But then it's not surprising, given how naturally it came to him." said Picard smiling.

"Thank you Captain. I am finding myself wanting to emulate my brother in many ways, but I do not wish to replace him. You have been very patient with me since my brother died." said B-4 with an almost childlike quality to his voice.

"It's the least we can do B-4. Data meant a great deal to us and I'm happy that you've decided to stay her aboard the Enterprise." replied Picard.

Nodding slowly to himself B-4 followed Kim out the door.

Picard looked around a moment and spoke again. "Computer, End Program and save."

The computer chirped an acknowledgement and the Holodeck shut down. Picard then headed for the Bridge.

**Bridge: A few minutes later.**

Picard exited the turbolift and walked around to his command chair that Madden had just vacated. Sitting down he tapped at his console and spoke. "Picard to Engineering, report."

LaForge's voice replied. "We're just about ready here Captain. Mr. Kim and B-4 are entering their changes into the main computer now."

"Acknowledged. Inform me when you're ready. Picard out." Picard said.

"The crew reports all other stations ready Captain. We can leave at any time." reported Madden.

"LaForge to Captain Picard. All systems check out. We are ready for Slip Stream maneuvers." reported the engineer.

"Give me ship wide. Picard to all stations, prepare for Quantum Slip Stream Test." said Picard. "Get me Starfleet."

"Admiral Janeway is responding Captain." reported Lyson a few seconds later.

"On screen." Picard ordered.

"Captain Picard. On behalf of all of Starfleet, I wish you luck. Take care of that drive captain, it's taken us years to perfect it." said Janeway.

"It's in good hands Admiral. I have every confidence in this crew and Lt. Commander Kim is here to baby sit the engines, just in case something goes wrong." said Picard. He was mildly put off that Janeway had spoken to like she had, but he knew what she had gone through in the Delta Quadrant and let it slide, though she couldn't expect that to help her forever.

"That's good to know. The Rhode Island has been ordered to shadow your course in case you have problems. Other than that, you're on your own. Starfleet out." Janeway informed Picard.

"She's full of confidence." remarked Madden in a derogatory tone.

"She's got a right to be. She went through hell in the Delta Quadrant, but you're right about that partly." replied Picard. "All hands stand by for QSD power up. Mr. LaForge, begin when ready."

"Bringing drive online now. All readings nominal." reported LaForge.

"Mr. Thomas take us out, one quarter impulse." ordered Picard.

"Aye sir. One quarter impulse." replied Thomas. The Enterprise exited the Docking frame and turned slowly to face the direction of Deneb. "We're clear, ready for QSD maneuvers Captain."

"Take us out of the system, Standard Warp Six. I want to be clear of the sun's gravity well so we don't have any unforeseen problems." ordered Picard.

"Aye sir. We'll be clear of the system in ten minutes." replied Thomas.

"Mr. LaForge, report any changes in the QSD systems as we get clear." said Picard.

"Acknowledged Captain." replied LaForge. Running the QSD's in "Neutral" would allow them to do a final stress test before bringing the system fully online and going in the QS velocities.

The minutes ticked by slowly as the crew waited for the ship to clear Sol's gravity. Picard watched Madden and the rest of his crew perform the routine duties they had learned and used for months. He was confident that no matter what happened when the new drive was brought online, his crew would be ready. Finally Thomas reported that they were clear to proceed.

"All hands, brace. Mr, Thomas bring the new drive fully online and disengage the Warp drive."

The Enterprise coasted along at Warp Six, the warp bubble having not fully dropped as the QSD came fully online and took over. The star field that Picard and the others was so used to changed to a blue colored tunnel and he felt a sudden pull of gravity that held him more firmly in his chair as the ship accelerated, the Inertia Dampeners struggling briefly to compensate before adjusting to the sudden increase in speed.

"QSD speed is at an equivalent of Warp Twelve and increasing, Warp Thirteen, Warp Fourteen… she's leveling out at Warp Equivalent Fifteen point Five now. All systems are performing better than expected Captain." reported Thomas.

"Amazing, at this rate we'll be at Deneb in days!" said Madden.

"Indeed. Mr. LaForge, how are things in Engineering?" asked Picard.

"Everything is running smoothly. I'm running diagnostics on the QSD constantly and taking readings with sensors as we go. We're all smiles down here sir." said LaForge looking around the engineering bay.

"Excellent. Keep me apprised, Picard out." said Picard looking around the bridge at the smiling faces of his crew there. "That's one for the history books."

Madden smiled. "Yes Sir… Shall we start writing our victory speeches?"

Picard almost laughed. Almost…

The Enterprise flew onward toward the Deneb Sector.

**Vulcan System: USS T'Pol**

Captain T'Fal looked at the main view screen observed the chaos that had become of her home system. Nearly fifty Starfleet ships of various classes had arrived after the T'Pol reported the anomaly to Starfleet and more were arriving by the minute. The whole system was on high alert and was reacting like a kicked over ant hill, ships swarming in to assess the situation. Thankfully, Admiral Ross had given T'Fal tactical command of the area around the anomaly itself, but that was becoming more of a traffic cop situation as well as more ships arrived in the area. If anything did come through this strange wormhole, Starfleet would be ready.

"Captain, we're being hailed by Starfleet, it's Admiral Janeway." reported Commander Sorrik, her first officer.

"On screen, commander." T'Fal ordered.

"Report Captain." Janeway ordered when she appeared on the view screen, replacing the anomaly.

"Nothing new has surfaced as yet Admiral. May I ask why you are calling instead of Admiral Ross?" replied T'Fal.

"He's in a conference at the moment, he asked me to see if anything new had been discovered and to review your findings given my own experience with wormholes over the years I was in the Delta Quadrant." said Janeway calmly. She noted that T'Fal reminded her of Tuvok a bit, but that was no real surprise. Most Vulcans did.

"Understood Admiral. I welcome any… insight you may have in regard to this development in my home system.

As the two women were talking, Ensign Savla made a startling discovery, and anything that could startle a Vulcan was something to report immediately. He turned to the view screen and spoke. "Captain, Admiral, I have just discovered something that may be significant."

"Go on." said Janeway looking at the Ensign. "What did you find?"

"A further analysis of the debris has turned up microscopic traces of another set of debris. One that has a signature that originates in this universe." he said.

"Can you tell who or what might be the origin of the material?" asked Janeway.

"Results are not complete at this time Admiral, however I have been able to tell that the debris is a mixture of to cultures. One of them Admiral, is Borg." reported Savla.

Janeway's face drained of color for a moment and then she spoke. "I'll be there in as soon as I'm able. Mr. T'Fal, inform the fleet in the Vulcan system of your findings and see if you can determine where this Borg debris came from. Has your probe returned yet?"

"Negative Admiral. It should be returning in one hour, twelve minutes, sixteen seconds." replied T'Fal.

"Very well, when it returns, contact Admiral Ross or myself immediately and relay its findings to Starfleet." ordered Janeway. "Janeway out."

T'Fal did as ordered. The chaos that surrounded her doubled as ships moved into defensive positions around the anomaly and waited for whatever came next.

**Vulcan Probe: B5 Space**

The probe exited the opening of the wormhole and began scans of the surrounding space. More debris like that found on the other side was present as well as a small fleet of ships that appeared to be protecting a space station orbiting the third planet in the star system. The planet the station orbited was emitting large amounts of energy in the form of various non-lethal radiation. The probe decided to move in closer for a more detailed scan.

**Whitestar Two Bridge**

Sheridan and Ivanova watched as a small device about two meters in length exited the anomaly and began a slow approach of the planet. It was emitting energy that read as a form of scanning on LeVar's screens.

"The "device" appears to be scanning the surrounding area Captain. The energy it's using to do this is unfamiliar to me." reported LeVar.

Sheridan nodded. "Makes sense. Whoever is on the other side of this thing must be just as curious as we are. Monitor this probe LeVar. Let me know the instant it does anything that might be considered hostile."

"Aye Captain." replied LeVar as he studied his readings of the probe.

"Susan, get back to the barn and monitor the situation from there. We've been gone too long and I imagine Corwin is getting nervous." ordered Sheridan.

"Okay John, but you owe me one." she replied as she headed for the landing bay.

Sheridan chuckled, "I owe you a lot more than just one."

"Keep reminding me of it and I'll start to collect!" replied Susan right before she left, backpedaling off the Bridge.

"Take us in system, follow that probe at a discreet distance, but don't get in its way." Sheridan commanded.

The Whitestar began to trail the probe as it slowly made its way toward Epsilon Three.

**The Great Machine**

Draal mentally shrugged again as he tried to penetrate the strange barrier that marked "The Rim" of known space. It wasn't the actual Rim of the Galaxy but a clearly defined point that he was unable to see beyond, even though the Great Machine told him it had not reached the limits of its reach. Someone or Something was keeping him out of that area of the Galaxy, just as he was kept out of Vorlon space as well, though the barrier around Vorlon Space was far less settle about it. He still felt the pain from his last such attempt.

As he brought his consciousness back to Epsilon Three he grew more concerned. Someone had found the "Special" Jumpgate that the Vorlons had created a million years ago AND they had opened it practically right on top of his real body in the cosmic sense of things. He immediately began to scan the area where the Jumpgate was supposed to be and mentally frowned at what he found. The Jumpgate was gone, the threat to this Galaxy, perhaps even to this universe was gone, but something else remained in its place. A gaping hole in reality. One that opened up into a new universe that held its own wonders and dangers.

He watched as a probe entered his universe and began to scan the star system. He also saw that it noticed his scans as well and was now coming toward the planet his body now resided on within The Great Machine. He decided to scan the probe more thoroughly.

**Vulcan Probe**

As the probe came into range for its sensor sweep the energy readings around the planet below quadrupled. A beam of light reached up and touched the probe enveloping it in a cascade of light.

The probe noted the changes and performed a self diagnostic. The light energy was a probe itself. One that was having a mildly adverse affect on the Probes systems. The probe adjusted its sensors and emitted a beam of its own that surged back down to the planet below and causing a feedback to Draal's probe, disabling it.

It ran a sensor sweep of the planet and found after a deep scan of the planet's crust that a large portion of the planet below had a Mechanical quality to it. It also detected a small population of beings that appeared to be maintaining the machines in this "layer" of the planet. One being seemed to be acting as a central processing unit for the whole, maintaining hundreds of systems, much as the brain maintained a humanoid body.

The being in the machine appeared to be in great pain. The probe immediately withdrew from the area and moved toward the Space Station.

**The Great Machine**

The first few minutes of examining the probe went well for Draal, but then the probe emitted an energy burst of its own that came flashing back down the light beam and striking the emitter. The energy feedback was so sudden Draal, couldn't prevent it from reaching his physical body. His consciousness snapped back into it and he was wracked in pain… Somehow he must have provoked the probe to defend itself he thought as he sank into oblivion…

Zathras observed the feedback as it cascaded around him reaching systems throughout the Great Machine. "Not good, not good, no no no, Not good at all for Zathras." he mumbled.

**Minbari Cruiser Orban'Zha**

Shai Alyt Shakiri, leader of the Warrior Caste was not amused. After coming to the aid of Sheridan his ship had received damage in a fight that was not of his choosing. Delenn had asked it of him as a favor to her and the Religious Caste and reluctantly agreed to come. Now while had enjoyed the following battle he was somewhat put off by its consequences. Sheridan owed him one, true. But he didn't want a favor from "Starkiller" he wanted revenge for the men he had lost in the to the Earther. Perhaps he might soon get his wish, IF he could succeed in his plans…

The Gate that the strange aliens had started to come through was destroyed Shakiri noted as he watched the Holo monitor, but in its place was a great maelstrom of reddish light and energy. It looked like a cancerous hole in the fabric that was this universe, a gaping wound in the life force of the galaxy and it was right under the very nose of Starkiller, something that Shakiri found hard to swallow.

He watched as Sheridan bumbled about clueless to the obvious danger and waited for the Earther to make a mistake, one that he could perhaps, capitalize on. Soon one such possibility arrived in the form of an small alien probe. It seemed to crawl out of the "wound" of the anomaly as it entered his reality like a maggot hatched from dead tissue. The thought sickened him, but he held back and watched as the probe moved about the star system.

As it came into range of Epsilon Three he saw a strange beam of light reach up and strike the probe. YES! he thought, his old adversary Draal, was down there and he had seen what a threat this probe must be. He was reaching up to destroy it! But such a thing didn't happen and after a few seconds his disappointment grew. The fool was just examining the thing! Just as he was about to turn off the holo matrix in disgust he saw the probe emit a light beam of its own that reached down to the planet below, striking the source of Draal's. The energy reading the Great Machine was emitting spiked and then dropped off to almost nothing. Draal must have been hit by that beam!

"Attack the Probe… In the name of Valen it must be destroyed!" he commanded. Yes, this is just the excuse he needed to act.

**Vulcan Probe**

As the probe came into range the Tachyon radiation increased significantly betweens ships and the stations itself, making the probe postulate a the theory that these beings used Tachyons to communicate with each other. It ran a scan of the station and discovered Human lifesigns. This shifted its priorities greatly and prompted it to return through the anomaly immediately. As it changed course it noted that one large ship was on an apparent attack vector. The probe activated its ECM and ECCM systems and began evasive maneuvers as the ship fired a Neutron Beam of energy at where the probe had just been milliseconds before it changed course.

**Whitestar Two**

Sheridan watched the probe's beam reach back down to the planet below and silence the beam that was accosting it. He struggled for a moment with his ethics and opted to leave the probe alone unless it did something aggressive. So far it had acted only in self defense and Sheridan was reluctant to start another fight so quickly with whatever had sent this probe.

"Captain, the Orban'Zha is moving in on an attack vector towards the probe. They're gun ports are open and she's powering up to fire." reported LeVar.

"WHAT!" said Sheridan, startled into action. "Move us to block them! Warn them off! If they fire on that probe we'll defend it!"

"It's too late. They're firing!" said LeVar.

They watched as the Neutron beam reached out to strike at the probe…that wasn't there! Somehow it had suddenly changed course and was zigzagging on all three axis as it headed back toward the anomaly at a speed that know manned vessel could hope to match. The readings they were receiving from the probe also changed and it became almost impossible to track it.

Get us in there! Keep us between the probe and the Minbari Cruiser!" Sheridan commanded.

"Yes Captain." replied LeVar as he handled the controls.

The Whitestar fell into place between the two combatants forcing the Minbari to slow and finally stop.

"The Minbari ship is targeting us now Captain. Shakiri is hailing and commands that we withdraw." reported LeVar.

"You tell that Minbari no. Target them in return." replied Sheridan.

The holo matrix changed to show the bridge of the Orban'Zha. "You would do well to leave me to my prey Earther. I will have my prize!" said a maddened looking Minbari as he sat in the Captain's chair.

"You can't have your "prize" Shakiri. That probe was just defending itself from an unwanted attack. As far as we can tell nothing was damaged by its retaliation. You're in my space Shakiri, be somewhere else." said Sheridan.

Shakiri eyed the Earther for a moment. If he struck now at this impudent human he might even be doing the Earth Alliance a favor. No he didn't want to do anything that might be considered a favor to Earthers. He watched as the probe entered the anomaly, going beyond is reach, for now. "Very well Starkiller, we will leave here, for now, but we'll be back. You can be sure of that." He turned to his second and issued orders to enter Hyperspace.

Sheridan watched as the Cruiser left and let out a sigh of relief. "Get me C & C."

"C & C Go." said Corwin's voice.

"Corwin is Ivanova there yet?" Sheridan asked.

"I just walked in. What do you need sir?" asked Susan as she stepped into the Observation Dome, the Command and Control center for Babylon Five.

"Call in the Whitestar Fleet. Have them report here ASAP." ordered Sheridan.

"How many?" she asked.

"All of them. I have a feeling something's about to hit the proverbial Fan out here and soon." said Sheridan once more viewing the Anomaly. "I'm heading back to the barn. Let me know what you can find out when I get there."

"Yes sir." Ivanova said. She turned to Corwin. "Looks like we're in for it now." she said brightly.

Corwin eyed dubiously for a moment and said the one thing that came to mind. "One thing you can say about this place. It's almost never dull."

Ivanova looked at Corwin mischievously. "Why you almost sound Russian Lieutenant. I must be rubbing off on you."

"Oh god no!" Corwin replied and moved over to a communications console to begin calling in the Whitestars.

Behind him Ivanova was laughing evilly…

**Next: Chapter Two: Decisions**


	3. Chapter Two: Decisions

**Chapter Two: Decisions**

**B5 Space: Whitestar Two**

Captain John Sheridan sat in the command chair as the ship made its way back to Babylon Five and contemplated the events that had led up to the creation of this strange Anomaly so close to his station.

The Shadow War was over, they had won and the Older Races had left known space to go beyond The Rim. Lorien had gathered his children, but Sheridan knew he would be back one last time, to take Sheridan with him at the end. He would never tell Delenn. She wouldn't understand and would try to follow or so he thought. For now, the galaxy was left for the younger races to explore, to rise or fall on their own, by their own actions and beliefs. If any failed, they would only have themselves to blame, because in the final analysis, they were free. Free from the influence of the older races like the Vorlons or the Shadows that had dominated the younger races since the beginning of their rise.

The first real start of this for the station was to eliminate raider activity once and for all in their region of space. Ivanova came up with a solution to this growing problem. She set a trap with a freighter that was carrying a shipment of Quantium Forty, the key element in Jumpgate and Jump Engine construction. The cargo was worth a huge fortune on the black market and an easy mark for raiders if they played their cards right. Sure enough, the raiders fell for it and they were now enjoying a long stay in a Drazi Prison, a very long stay and not a pleasant one at that.

On the way back to Babylon Five, Ivanova's squadron came across a strange artifact in Hyperspace and decided to bring it home with them to examine it more closely. In all it took every Starfury Babylon Five had to tow the artifact home and to add to it they had to expand the Jumpgate struts to maximum to accommodate the artifact's size.

Once in Babylon Five space, the Artifact began to suck up energy very slowly. They sent a Maintenance Bot out to get a sample of the artifact and it was drained of all power, so drained in fact that its batteries would never hold a charge again, ever. They got the sample though and carbon-dated it back to over one million years in age!

An IPX explorer team suddenly arrived shortly after and after a bit of negotiating was given access to the artifact. Dr. Trent, the leader of the expedition, began setting up shop, much to Ivanova's displeasure due to the added chaos that ensued in the docking bays. Trent eventually learned enough about the artifact to know something about what it was, a Jumpgate to another space, a Third Space. One that she thought may make Hyperspace seem like a slow way to travel, but there was another problem.

On the other side of the Thirdspace Gate was a race of telepathic creatures, hell bent on destroying anything that was not of them. They began to use their telepathic powers to influence the population aboard Babylon Five by way of their dreams at first and by actual mind control later on. Thankfully they were not unopposed as Lyta Alexander was aware of their influence. She also had a deep seeded memory come to the surface about the artifact, one that was planted in her mind by the Vorlons. She began to lose control of herself to this memory and eventually she tried to destroy the artifact before it could be activated by using a force of Maintenance Bots to attack the Gate. Sheridan prevented this by ordering his Starfuries to defend the Gate. He had Zack confine Lyta to her quarters shortly after.

Shortly thereafter Trent's assistant tried to stop her from activating the Gate but she killed him while under the aliens influence and sent out some kind of power cell to activate the gate. Over half the station was under the influence of the aliens and they used their control to start a riot as a distraction so they could come through the Gate unopposed.

Sheridan and Delenn went to Lyta's quarters to see if she knew of a way to stop the aliens and were confronted by the Vorlon Memory itself controlling Lyta's body. The Memory told them about the origin of the special Jumpgate. How the Vorlons had made the gate in an attempt to 'touch the face of god' and how they had instead unleashed the menace that was the Thirdspace aliens. A civil war broke out between the Vorlons under the aliens influence and their uncontrolled brethren. The Memory told of how the 'Evil' Vorlons had managed to drop the Gate into Hyperspace, hiding it away from their now cousins and fleeing to parts unknown.

Sheridan listened to the story with greater apprehension until finally he asked how he could stop the aliens, once and for all. Lyta turned to him and began to explain and explain she did. While Delenn and the gathered forces around the station fought off the aliens outside and Zack tried to suppress the rioting inside, Sheridan would fly a nuke into the guts of the Thirdspace Gate and set it at a key junction point. He would set the timer and leave as quickly as he could.

The plan was a bold one and it cost the peoples of B5 greatly, but in the end the deed was done. The Thirdspace Gate was gone, but now a new challenge awaited his discovery. One that could pose a threat to not just the Station and his crew and the people on board her, but a challenge that could threaten the entire galaxy, or the universe itself!

He had to begin making plans to defend his backyard quickly or he might lose it to whatever force had sent the probe.

All in all Sheridan was having a bad day, a really, really, bad day indeed.

**USS Enterprise: On course for the Denab Sector**

_Captain's log, Stardate 57509.4_

_The Enterprise is underway for the Denab Sector. The new Slipstream Drive appears to be functioning well within the projected guidelines and we're making good progress. Commander LaForge has asked however that we drop back to normal space for a cool down period and I've agreed._

"Mr. Thomas, slow to impulse." ordered Picard as he sat in his command chair.

"Aye sir, slowing to half impulse." replied Thomas. As the ship fell back into normal space it was rocked by some kind of backwash.

"Report!" said Madden.

"We're dragging a piece of subspace behind us! It reads like a tear! Brace for impact!" yelled LaForge over the intercom.

The ship rocked and heaved like a child's rubber ducky in a bath tub. Huge amounts of energy were hitting the shields of the ship, tearing into them.

"Shields down to fifteen percent, Structural Integrity is failing! We can't stay here!" yelled Lyson from the tactical position.

"Can we form a Warp bubble in this?" asked Madden.

"Negative! If we try that the tear will overtake us!" said LaForge.

"Mr. Thomas, Full Impulse! Get us away from that tear!" said Picard.

"Aye sir!" said Thomas as he struggled to keep his seat.

Slowly the Enterprise gained distance from the tear. "We have to close that thing!" said Madden.

Picard nodded, "Mr. Lyson, target the tear, set two Transphasic Torpedoes to a resonating field opposite to that of the tear and fire. That should close it."

Lyson fed the necessary commands into his control panel and fired the torpedoes. They streaked back toward the tear and exploded. A second later they could see that the tear was beginning to close, slowly.

"Excellent. Mr. LaForge, take the Slipstream offline and begin an analysis of what caused the tear in the first place. Mr. Thomas, as soon as that tear is fully closed come to a full stop and begin a diagnostic of the helm controls." ordered Picard.

"Aye sir." was LaForge's reply as he looked at a disappointed Harry Kim. "Let's get started Harry."

Harry nodded in return and opened a panel on the Slipstream Drive. He wished Seven and B'Elanna were here to help, but they had stayed behind at the spacedock, thinking their part of the project was done. Well, it could be worse, he thought. We could have ended up back on the far end of the Delta Quadrant just now.

_Captain's log supplemental,_

_After a careful examination of the sensor logs we determined that we passed unreasonably close to a nova and somehow a small portion of matter from the former star was pulled into the Slipstream behind us. When we exited the Slipstream the momentum of the matter carried in on into a subspace pocket, ripping the fabric of real space in the process and putting us in danger. We have recalculated our course to avoid passing near any further phenomena and are about to restart the Slipstream Drive and resume our journey._

As Picard opened his mouth to give the order to resume course to Denab, Commander Lyson spoke. "Captain, we're receiving a hail from Starfleet, priority one."

"I'll take it in my ready room." said Picard as he stood up. "You have the Bridge Number One."

Madden nodded. "Mr. Thomas, all stop." They had been on course for Denab at Warp Two for about an hour, once they had determined the cause of the tear was not helm related.

"Answering all stop, Commander." replied Thomas. He glanced over at Ensign Kirk at Ops and shared a meaningful look with him. A day on the Enterprise was never dull.

Inside his ready room Picard took a seat at his desk and pulled up the incoming call. Admiral Ross' face was there to greet him. "Picard, I see you've managed to stay one step ahead of disaster once again."

Picard smiled slightly. "You know how it is with ships named Enterprise Admiral. What can I do for you?"

"You can set course for Vulcan, best possible speed. An Anomaly has appeared not far from Valdena. The interesting thing about this thing is that it looks like a wormhole." replied Ross.

Picard sat back in his seat and contemplated this news. "Where does it lead? Or have you been able to discover that yet?"

"Where it goes is a mystery for the moment. The T'Pol sent a probe into it not long after making the discovery. If all goes according to plan, the probe should be returning to our Universe in about ten minutes." said Ross.

"Our Universe… you mean the wormhole leads to another reality? The energy needed to make such a hole in space time is almost unheard of!" gasped Picard.

"Yes, it is, but Captain T'Fal was able to ascertain that this is the case. What's more, the wormhole had debris from three separate universes surrounding its event horizon. The debris from our universe had a Borg signature Picard, that's why I want you there. We made a mistake by keeping you away the last time Earth was threatened by the Borg, one that nearly cost us the very existence of the human race. I don't plan on having a repeat of that disaster." said Ross with conviction.

"So what are my orders?" asked Picard.

"Your orders are to get to Valdena, and assume command of the fleet. You are hereby granted a field commission of Fleet Admiral until this situation is sorted out and any threat to the Federation is ascertained and if possible eliminated. Vice Admiral Janeway wanted to have the job, but I need her here. She'll be in charge of Research and Development for the duration. If something should happen to you, she's our back up. I've sent Captain Chakotay and the Voyager to assist you. Anika Hansen will be with him. Use them well Picard, their expertise with the Borg will be invaluable. Good luck Admiral. Ross out."

Picard stared at the small screen in a daze. He remembered the words of another Enterprise captain. Don't let them take you away from that chair Picard, because as long as you're there you can make a difference. Picard could only agree with that tidbit of wisdom now, but field commissions had a way of becoming permanent if they lasted for very long. He began to pray that this time would be a very short one.

He stood up and tapped his communicator, "Ensign Thomas, set course for the Vulcan System, best possible speed. Push the Slipstream Drive as much as you feel you can. Have Commander LaForge and Lt. Kim monitor the system closely. All Senior Staff report to Engineering for a meeting, Picard out."

He didn't want to pull Geordi off the engines for a microsecond if he didn't have to. He felt the thrum of the Slipstream Drive as it powered up once again and sent the ship flying at incredible speed towards Vulcan. He hoped the ship didn't fly apart.

**Vulcan Space: USS T'Pol**

T'Fal watched as the Anomaly once again flared and spat out the probe her vessel had launched. Ensign Savla was monitoring the main science station and ordered the probe to transmit its findings to his screen.

"The probe reports some extraordinary findings Captain. The Anomaly is indeed a wormhole. It has several points that match those of the Bajoran Wormhole and it leads to another Universe as we had speculated. I can only conclude that this wormhole is artificial from these readings. The variables are to symmetrical and clear for it to be a natural phenomenon." he reported.

"Interesting, is their any data concerning the Borg debris that was found?" asked T'Fal.

"No, the Borg debris is only present outside the wormhole and the other half of that portion of debris still eludes identification. Whoever built the device that had so much Borg technology integrated into it is not from this area of space. I believe a ship may be able to track the source however, a distinct warp signature has been found on our sensor logs that matches the debris. It may have been some type of probe that malfunctioned. We may never know with certainty." replied the young Vulcan science officer.

He continued to study the data from the probe before uttering an un-Vulcan-like gasp. "Captain, the probe reports it has discovered a Space station on the other side of the aperture and that there are humans present there. The probe was attacked by a large ship as it was beginning a close scan of the station and it was forced to retreat to the wormhole. One other ship appeared to be trying to keep the attacking vessel at bay, giving the probe time to escape, the strange thing is that both ships were manned by the same species, one that does not appear in our databanks. The second ship did have at least one human aboard it however, that may explain the behavior."

T'Fal gave a slight nod. "Commander Sorik, open a channel to Starfleet Command."

"Channel open. Star Fleet is answering, It is Admiral Ross." replied her first officer as he put the admiral onscreen.

"Captain T'Fal. I trust all is well. Has the probe returned on schedule?" asked Ross.

"Indeed it has Admiral and with some rather startling discoveries." She turned to Savla and signaled him to relay the probe's information to Star Fleet.

"We're receiving the data now. Captain Picard of the Enterprise is on his way to take command of the situation. He has also been promoted to Fleet Admiral for the duration of this mission, let's hope its not long term." said Ross as he began looking over the probe data himself.

"We have also determined that the Borg debris was most likely from a probe. A warp signature was present on our sensor logs just prior to the eruption of the anomaly. I suggest a ship be sent to trace any warp trail that may exist to determine the point of origin." said T'Fal.

"Your suggestion is noted Captain, the USS Rhode Island should be perfect for such a mission. I'll contact her captain and get that ball rolling, Ross out."

T'Fal watched as the viewscreen switched for a brief moment to the Star Fleet Logo and then changed once again to reveal the stars. On the screen she could see four Galaxy class Variants towing the framework of a new Starbase into orbit around Valdena. Several other vessels were deploying small defense platforms. A flash heralded the arrival of the USS Defiant. It also began to drop a payload of mines near the opening to the wormhole. The mines matched those that defended the Bajoran Wormhole in most respects except these were also Transphasic in nature. The Defiant was going to replace those around the Bajoran Wormhole with these new ones, but they had been ordered to here instead. Every ship within fivehundred lightyears that wasn't already defending Earth or Vulcan was on its way here.

T'Fal's home system was fast becoming a fortress to rival that around Earth itself, something that was regrettable in her opinion. Vulcans were pacifists at heart and to see so much firepower being thrust into her home was troublesome. Some of the civilian population was sure to begin protests, especially on Valdena. Yes, it was indeed quite regrettable, but also quite necessary, at least for now.

**TBC in Chapter Three: Discovery**


	4. Chapter Three: Part One Discovery

**Chapter Three: Discovery**

USS Enterprise

As the Enterprise flew along at Slipstream, an occasional tremor could be felt in the deck plates. The Structural Integrity was slowly dropping as they pushed the new engines into the redline, but they had little choice, as long as the ship's integrity stayed above a certain amount. Picard was satisfied that they would reach Vulcan soon. He would tolerate the wait time at the next starbase later.

The com system chirped and LaForge's voice was heard. "LaForge to Bridge."

"Yes Mr. LaForge?" said Picard.

"We have to drop out of Slipstream again Captain. Our latest projections say that we'll lose containment in less than an hour if we don't. The engines weren't designed to be pushed this hard for so long." he replied.

Picard frowned. "Very well, Mr. Thomas, slow to impulse, watch for any anomalus readings."

The ship slowed and dropped out of the tunnel-like matrix into normal space; this time no subspace rips were following them and Thomas visibly sighed in relief.

A collective sigh followed his own as the crew on the bridge shared a smile.

"Mr. LaForge, can we resume course under Warp?" asked Madden.

"Yes sir, the stress to the Warp core has fallen down to almost nothing. We can give you Warp Eight point Six for the rest of the trip without too much trouble." replied LaForge with confidence.

"Mr. Thomas, make it so." said Madden, earning a slight smile from Picard.

The Enterprise jumped into Warp and headed for Vulcan.

The T'Pol observed the arrival of the Enterprise a short time later at Vulcan and hailed them.

"Captain T'Fal, it's good to see you again. I trust you are well?" said Picard as the Vulcan captain's face appeared on his viewscreen.

T'Fal gave a slow nod of her head to Picard and spoke in reply. "I am well, Admiral. The Anomaly is most intriguing. My science officer has found several new elements present within the anomaly itself. They appear to be providing fuel to the wormhole, holding it open."

"Interesting." replied Picard.

"Indeed." T'Fal said. "We have also detected a warp trail leading up to the rupture, The Rhode Island has been dispatched to determine its origin."

Picard frowned. "Could this rupture have been caused by some kind of weapon?"

"We do not have enough information as yet to determine that, however it is a possibility given the nature of one of its creators." said Savla, speaking up for the first time.

"The Borg." stated Picard.

"The Borg." acknowledged Savla. "Admiral Picard, I have a preliminary analysis of the other debris the device was made from. That portion of Debris is over four billion years old."

Picard frowned even more. Only one race was known to exist during that timeframe. The Progenitors and only a few people outside of Starfleet knew about it with a few Cardassians, Klingons, and Romulans among them. Starfleet had decided to classify the entire incident surrounding Professor Galen's work with fragmented DNA strands to discover the Progenitors hidden message to their "Children".

"That debris just became top secret; you are to discuss this with no one without my expressed authorization or that of Admiral Ross. Understood?" said Picard sternly.

T'Fal raised one eyebrow before she acknowledged the order, curious that this was to be kept secret. She made a mental note to review her personal files on the Enterprise's exploits. Perhaps she might find something there to explain this behavior. For many years T'Fal had been intrigued by the Earth's "Conspiracy Theories" and had begun to hypothesize with other enthusiasts over various "Theories". It was quite stimulating, despite some of the illogical conclusions her "colleagues" came up with.

"Transfer your findings to my ship and send a coded copy to Admiral Ross. Mr. Lyson, I want you to review what The T'Pol has come up with and prepare a full briefing for the senior staff in three hours." ordered Picard. He turned back to the viewscreen and looked at T'Fal. "Maintain your position captain and report any new findings to me immediately, Picard out."

Picard sighed. Command of this mission would be THE test of his career if things kept going in the direction they appeared to be headed. "Number One you have the bridge. I'll be in my ready room reviewing incoming reports."

Madden stood up from his chair and nodded to Picard as he assumed command of the bridge. Ensign Kirk looked over his shoulder nervously at Admiral Picard, he didn't want to be in Picard's shoes right now, of that he was quite certain.

Picard sat down in his ready room chair and turned to his desk viewscreen and began pulling up the latest reports from the fleet.

Half an hour later Picard was still perusing the reports when the Comm system chirped. "Admiral, Starfleet is hailing us. It's Admiral Ross sir." said Lyson.

"Thank you Mr. Lyson. Computer, display incoming communiqué onscreen." ordered Picard.

The face of Admiral Ross appeared on the viewscreen, he looked very tired. "Jean Luc, as soon as you have enough information gathered from the probe and the fleet, I want you to take the Enterprise into the wormhole under cloak. You are to reconnoiter the area surrounding the other end and report back to Starfleet. We've been able to ascertain that you can leave a communication relay inside the wormhole at the halfway point and that will allow you to maintain contact with our universe. Any questions?"

"No Bill, I've ordered a full briefing that should be ready in approximately two and a half hours. If you like I can have you monitor the briefing at that time."

"No, I'm afraid I won't have time, but please forward your findings as soon as you've finished. After that, I need you to get underway, Ross out."

The Starfleet Command logo briefly appeared on the screen before returning to the report Picard had been reading when Ross called. Picard stopped reading for a moment and looked out the window to his ready room. All he could think about for a moment was Pandora's Box seemed to be opening once more on his beloved Federation, but what wonders or tribulations awaited its opening this time were yet to be seen. He just hoped that it wouldn't herald the end of everything.

He decided he had put off changing his uniform long enough, like it or not Jean Luc Picard was now an Admiral of the Federation…

Picard pulled at his collar again trying futilely to adjust the fit. He understood that his discomfort was really just in his head, but he wasn't willing to give up the fight just yet. He continued to pull on the collar until he heard a faint tearing sound and realized his new Admiral's uniform was damaged by his action. Sighing he sat down at the briefing room table and waited for his officers to arrive.

The Bridge crew of the Enterprise entered the main briefing lounge quickly. Picard nodded to his officers as they entered and took seats around the table. A few seconds later the doors opened again and revealed a rushed Harry Kim and Geordi LaForge. They also took seats and waited for the Admiral to begin.

"Mr. Lyson, could you please begin with a brief summary of our current information?" asked Picard.

"Yes sir, as the rest of you are now aware, a new wormhole has opened up right in our backyard as the saying goes. What makes this wormhole unique and different from the typical wormholes we've encountered in the past is that this one is also inter-dimensional in nature as well. It opens from our universe into an entirely different one.

"Preliminary analysis indicates that this new universe works much the same as our own does, in other words the laws of physics appear to be identical. One major difference however is star locations, while some stars appear to be in the same place relative to our own, others are either in totally different locations or don't exist at all, while others exist where none do here. What this means to us is we have no idea what's out there.

"Some of the races of our universe may exist there, but we are sure that there are many others that will be new to us. The probe we sent into the wormhole has returned with lifesign scans of a space station that exists there not far from the wormhole's exit point. It indicated over a quarter million inhabitants are living at that station. Of those detected only one species came back known, Humans."

"Was the probe able to locate Sol?" asked Picard.

"Yes, The Sol system exists in nearly the same location as our own. There's one thing more the probe was able to ascertain, the other universe is about temporally out of sink with ours. The displacement is roughly eighty years to the old Earth date of 2261." said Lyson.

"2261… This may change a few things. Mr. Lyson, was the probe able to detect how they travel at warp? How are they getting from star system to star system?" asked Picard.

"I'm afraid we're still at a loss with that one. No warp trials or warp capable ships were detected, however there was one structure that has a few of the engineers around here talking." Lyson stood and pulled up the image of what looked like a large space dock. "While this may look like a space dock, it isn't. It's a transdimensional conduit. What we think this device does is it creates a wormhole into another kind of subspace, one that may be smaller than real space. Our best engineers are working on the idea now."

"Could such a device have been the cause for what made this wormhole?" asked Ensign Kirk.

"The device doesn't seem to have enough power to do the job, but we could be wrong. We just don't know at this time." replied LaForge.

"What kind of effects can we expect upon entering this wormhole?" asked Picard.

"Gravimetric readings indicate that the wormhole is still a bit unstable. We'll probably have to use emergency power to maintain the inertial dampeners as we pass through." said LaForge.

"Can we use the cloak?"

"Yes, but I wouldn't recommend it. The power usage will put a strain on key systems. We may lose some of them during the transition between universes." replied LaForge.

"Admiral Ross has ordered us to enter the wormhole under cloak. Do your best to maintain those systems commander. If there's nothing else, dismissed…" ordered Picard.

**Bridge: A few minutes later.**

The bridge crew worked seamlessly as they prepared for the transition through the new wormhole into anther universe.

"Mr. Lyson, activate the cloak. All stations, yellow alert, standby for maneuvers. Mr. Thomas, take us in, one quarter impulse." ordered Picard.

The Enterprise cloaked and began to surge forward toward the opening of the wormhole. As the ship began to enter, the cloaking field flared briefly giving away their location to the fleet massed around the system. Finally the ship was gone, leaving its own quantum reality for the first time into the unknown…


	5. Chapter Three: Part Two

**A/N:** To avoid some confusion, I'm adding this note about the timeline involved with this portion of the chapter. What takes place here takes up from the moment Sheridan returned to B5 in chapter one up to when the Enterprise enters the wormhole from the ST side. If this note is confusing to some of you, I'm sorry. Now on with the next part of Chapter Three!

**Chapter Three: Discovery, Part Two**

**B5: Medlab**

Lyta Alexander awoke in Medlab to see the smiling face of Steven Franklin looking down at her. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'll be fine Dr. Franklin…" The enormity of what she had witnessed earlier struck her. "I've got to talk to Captain Sheridan! I've got to talk to him NOW!" Lyta sat up quickly and fell back into the bed with a whoosh. She felt quite weak. Something was beginning to happen to her, she could feel it. One of the Vorlon programs was doing something to her… changing her to deal with the problems ahead. She sank back into unconsciousness, the urgency of her plight clearly marked on her young face.

"I need a full med team over here STAT!" yelled Franklin as her vital signs began to fluctuate wildly. "Don't you die on me Lyta! Don't you die!"

Sheridan walked into the Medlab and moved over to Lyta's bed opposite Franklin as he took bio readings. "How is she Steven?"

"I'm not sure. She's stabilized for the moment, but she's changing in ways I don't understand. Her brain is being altered somehow. In most humans, we use about ten percent of our brain, Lyta's brain activity is approaching something closer to ninety percent and I can't stop it." replied Franklin.

Sheridan let out a low whistle. "Vorlons?"

Franklin looked up and nodded. "Vorlons."

"Will she die?"

"That's hard to say. I'm still running tests. I'll know more in an hour or so." replied Franklin.

Sheridan frowned. "Do what you can. Could you come up to my office when you get the results?"

Franklin nodded.

"I'll see you then." said Sheridan as he took one last look at Lyta. She'd saved their butts a few times now since they broke away from Earth. He hoped that these changes would help them in the coming days. With a final nod to Steven he headed for his office.

"Sheridan to C&C."

"C&C Go…" replied Ivanova.

"Susan, have Marcus meet me in my office in one hour." said Sheridan.

In C&C Ivanova frowned slightly. "I'll get right on it. Do you need for me to be there too?"

"Negative, I need you there to monitor things for the moment." replied Sheridan.

"Understood. C&C out." she said and cut the link.

Just over an hour later Franklin and Marcus walked into Sheridan's office and took seats opposite the captain's desk.

Sheridan finished reading a report from Whitestar Seventeen and looked up at them. "Thank you for coming. First, could you tell me anything new about Lyta Doctor?"

"Her condition is improving. If she continues on this trend, she should be waking up soon." reported Franklin. "All of her vitals are returning to normal. Except for the elevated brain activity, she's fine."

"Good. The reason I've called both of you here is because I need you to go to Mars for me. We've ignored Earth for too long. I'd go myself, but my face is on every wanted poster between here and Earth. Can you do it?" asked Sheridan.

Marcus and Franklin exchanged looks. "We'll have to take the long way round, say two weeks each way, there and back." said Marcus.

"I expected as much, but it can't be helped. Get going, and watch your backs. If Clark gets wind of this, all hell's going to break loose." said Sheridan.

"What about Lyta?" asked Franklin.

"You DO have a competent staff Steven. She'll be okay without you. I need you to let the Mars Resistance know that we haven't forgotten them and that we're coming to help, soon." replied Sheridan.

Franklin nodded reluctantly. He hated to leave Medlab at such a critical time, but Sheridan was right. They'd left the Earth question hanging for far too long. "I'll go pack."

"Pack lightly. We may need to move quickly once our trek begins." said Marcus knowingly.

Franklin and Marcus left the office to pack, while Sheridan stood up and walked over to the observation window. Looking out at the garden that populated the inside wall to the rotating sections of the station seemed to calm him sometimes. The last time he'd done it was during the ISN broadcast a couple weeks ago. The memory of what they said about his family home still burned hotly in his mind. Oh yes, Clark would pay Sheridan vowed quietly.

He glanced at his link and pondered what he should do about Delenn. He missed her strong resolve in times like these. Was she safe? Was she coming back soon? He hoped she was and finally went back to his never ending pile of reports.

**Babylon 5: Down Below**

In a particularly bad part of B5 a group of six figures sat around a dingy table. One feature of this particular room was the view port in the floor which, as it happened at the moment, was presenting the view of an angry reddish ball of energy.

"We may need to accelerate our program. With this new development, Clark will be wanting someone representing Earth's interests here." said one figure.

"What shall we move up?" asked another.

"We'll need to put our Garabaldi plan into action. If that fails, we'll kill Sheridan ourselves… when the time is right…" replied the first figure.

Smiles were shared around the table.

**Minbar**  
Delenn and Lennier stepped out of the Dreaming Chamber with Calenn following.

"Lennier, I want you to go to the Grey Council's Archive Center. Find the scroll pertaining to the coming of Valen. I will wait here for you." ordered Delenn.

"It shall be done, Delenn." replied Lennier bowing respectfully. He quickly left the house of Mir and retrieved the record. When he came back his robes were slightly ruffled.

"I trust there were no problems getting the record?" asked Delenn.

"The Grey Council may be disbanded, but the guards still remain. They tried to stop me from removing the record… they will recover, in time." replied Lennier.

Delenn took the scroll from Lennier bowing her thanks and handed it to Calenn. "Here is the proof you require. I am a child of Valen, a Minbari not born of Minbari, a man we knew as Jeffery Sinclair who we sent back in time to fight the Shadows. When the war was over, Valen fled with his family from Minbar to avoid persecution by 'pure Minbari'. After a time, his children returned to Minbar and had children. Their children had children and on and on, down from the past to the present. You wanted a reason why I should be allowed to marry Sheridan, well there it is! I will leave you now."

Calenn jumped up. "Wait! Don't go! You can't leave me like this!"

"Why can I not?" asked Delenn. "You know the truth now. My blood is not pure Minbari, so my joining with Sheridan matters not in the slightest. How many generation of Minbari are children of Valen anyway?"

Calenn sank back onto the bench. "They cannot be counted…"

"You have your answer." Delenn said again and bowed one last time.

"Wait! Delenn please! There is another way. One that will preserve our people! If news of Valen's true origins and of what became of his progeny became public there could be bloodshed! You would be the death of your own family!" cried Calenn.

Delenn stopped and turned back to Calenn expectantly.

"In the ancient days of Minbar, when we still warred among ourselves, a sacrifice was sometimes offered to the victors to ease the transition from war to peace. The daughter of the fallen would be offered up to the victor's son as a testament of their loyalty to the winning side. We, …that is I can offer this as a reason to our people to explain your bonding to Sheridan… It is a great burden to bear I would imagine…" 

Delenn smiled and nodded, bowed to Calenn and gestured for Lennier to follow her.

Calenn smiled weakly. He hoped this ploy worked. Not all Minbari would accept it on face value and those who didn't might prove to be the end for his people.

Outside her transport, Delenn found a human Ranger waiting for her. "Entil'Zha, my name is Errol. Things at Babylon 5 are heating up. Sheridan asked for me to report this to you."

Delenn nodded and smiled. "Then it is a good thing that I am returning there now. Tell me everything. Lennier, please ready the ship for flight."

Lennier bowed and went to the controls.

Shortly all three were on their way out of Tuzanor and heading for the local jumpgate. Lennier noticed two Sharlins coming out of hyperspace not far from the planet. He was extremely comforted to know that his homeworld was so aptly defended. A moment later he activated the jumpgate and set course for Babylon 5.

On the Sharlin Cruiser Orban'Zha, Shakiri observed Delenn's transport as it entered the jumpgate. "Prepare a transport. I wish to return home."

"At once, Shai Alyt, it shall be done." responded a young warrior.

Shakiri smiled. He would begin his cleansing of the homeworld soon. Only Warriors were fit to lead the Minbari people. He would begin with the casting out of the Religious Caste from Warrior Caste cities. Let them make their way as they may, he thought darkly.

**B5: Three days later.**

Sheridan waited at the docking terminal for Delenn's arrival. As she walked into view Sheridan's face lit up into a smile. "Hello Delenn."

Delenn smiled back and took Sheridan's offered arm. "John."

"I hope everything is fine at home for you?" asked Sheridan.

"Yes, things are fine for now, John. Has Lyta regained consciousness?" asked Delenn.

Sheridan nodded. "Dr. Hobbs just called me a few minutes ago. She would like for us to come down. She says Lyta is crawling up the walls… figuratively speaking of course…"

Delenn frowned at the last remark. Human humor was still hard for her to grasp. "Then we should go there now John, before she falls off a wall and injures herself further…" she said in a serious fashion. She hurried forward as they headed for the nearest transport tube.

Sheridan watched her back with a look of dismay on his face. Sometimes he just didn't know what to say to Delenn after remarks like that…

Dr. Hobbs looked up as they entered Medlab and smiled warmly. "Thank you for coming Captain, Ambassador. I don't know if I could have kept Ms. Alexander in here much longer if she hadn't overheard me call for you. She's quite adamant that she needs to see you right away."

Sheridan nodded. "I understand. Shall we?" he asked gesturing toward the main isolation bay.

The doctor led them into the room and began to take readings from Lyta as Sheridan and Delenn came in behind her.

Lyta opened her eyes as they stepped up to the bed she was lying on. They glowed a brilliant white in an almost blinding fashion. "Captain Sheridan, Delenn, good you've both come just in time."

Sheridan frowned as he glanced at Delenn and shared a look of pause between them. Looking back at Lyta he asked, "Just in time for what?"

"For a new beginning." replied Lyta. "The Multiverse is about to open up to us, but there are dangers that we must face and overcome before we'll be ready for it. What happened outside of the station with the Gate was not supposed to happen. The gate was supposed to blow up and seal the breach between realities, but instead the rift shifted to another reality, one that holds dangers as great as or greater than that of the Enemy you defeated."

"It sounds like we should try to find a way to close this rift. We have enough troubles here in our own universe without letting more in." said Sheridan.

"That may not be possible. The Vorlons feared that this might happen; as a result I was altered for this contingency. Long ago, when they were still trying to perfect the Gate, the Vorlons managed to open a breach to the reality that the rift is now focused on. They sent a small fleet into this new space to explore and were forced to retreat back to our own universe when they encountered a race far older than themselves." said Lyta.

"A race older than the Vorlons? Were they like Lorien?" asked Sheridan.

"They were much the same, but they were not interested in having the Vorlons 'visit' as they put it at the time. They 'escorted the Vorlon fleet back to the rift and sealed it. Since then, they have appeared in our own universe once. They went to Earth and did something to the local population of Humans and left. The Vorlons went to Earth to see what had been done and discovered that the humans of one continent had been altered on a genetic level. They studied these humans extensively and learned how to manipulate DNA and RNA strands in their subjects. They took this information and used it to change other races across the galaxy."

"So that's how they learned to make everyone see them as they wanted to be seen by the younger races. They learned it from this other race. Lyta, did this race have a name? Did they ever tell the Vorlons who they were?" asked Sheridan.

"They called themselves the Progenitors and they gave the Vorlons a small history lesson on their way back to the rift. Billions of years ago when their universe was young they explored their home galaxy and found it empty of any other intelligent life. A billion years passed and their race began to die. They were saddened that only their race would ever know the wonders of the universe and so they began to seed many worlds over vast distances of their home galaxy with the essence of life. As they watched and died those worlds blossomed and new forms of intelligent life began to emerge and explore. When the first of these new races discovered how to travel faster than light, the Progenitors withdrew from their home galaxy and set a barrier around it to protect their children." said Lyta.

"So these Progenitors could still be out there in their universe somewhere?" asked Delenn.

"It is possible. If Lorien were still here, he might be able to tell us. Since he isn't however, I must now fill his role of protector. The Vorlons and the Shadows, all of the First Ones are gone, but the Vorlons left me, so I could act as a guide if this occurred." replied Lyta. Her eyes dimmed slightly for a second. "Something is coming through the rift, something that may prove helpful Captain, for all of us."

Outside of the station the angry red mass churned itself into a vortex and spat out a ship.

In C&C, Ivanova ordered Corwin to lock the defense grid onto the ship as it seemed to drift towards them without power. She could see lights in some of the huge windows that seemed to be everywhere on the vessel, but that was all. She looked to be adrift.

Abruptly a set of thruster plumes became visible as the ship righted itself and came to a full stop not far from the station. "Open a channel to that ship." Ivanova ordered Corwin.

"No response commander. She may not be able to receive us." Corwin reported.

As they watched, the ship suddenly seemed to vanish for a few seconds and then reappeared. This happened for almost a minute before the ship finally vanished completely from sight and scanners.

"Where did it go? Corwin, see if you can find it again." Susan ordered.

After a few tense minutes Corwin reported. "I think I have it. Its only showing up as a sensor echo on our communications channels, but I could be wrong. I believe the ship's got some kind of invisibility cloak, but I think I can find it if I look hard enough using our Tachyon Communication Emitters on wide beam broadcast."

"Good work Corwin. How'd you come up with that?" Ivanova asked.

"It just seemed odd to me that the communications relay was still getting a sensor echo from the ship, even when it was doing that Houdini act. A steady sensor echo was present the whole time." replied Corwin.

Ivanova looked at his readings. "How far away is it from us now?"

"That's just it. She just disappeared from this type of scan too. Either they could adapt to it, or they're out of range of the emitters." he replied.

"Keep watching for it. I'll go have a talk with the captain about what we've seen." said Ivanova.

As she headed for the exit all she could think about was the ancient Russian proverb. If anything can go wrong, it will go wrong…

**TBC in Chapter Four: First Contact**


	6. Chapter Four: First Contact

**Chapter Four: First Contact**

**Enterprise: Bridge, Moments before exiting the wormhole…**

Picard stared at the main viewscreen with not a small amount of wonder on his face. The Enterprise was passing through what looked like a giant vortex that seemed to have no end. "Mr. Kim, please get as many readings as you can as we pass through this."

Harry Kim looked over to the Admiral and nodded. "Aye sir." It was hard for him to tear his eyes away from the beautiful site the viewer was displaying, but he did so and quickly began running intensive scans with the new sensors.

Madden glanced at his side display at power readings as they passed throughout the ship. "Bridge to Engineering. I'm picking up some odd looking surges in the cloaking field's power grid. Try to determine the cause."

"I'm already on it. We've been seeing the same thing here ever since we entered the wormhole." reported LaForge immediately. "We're still trying to ascertain the exact cause now."

"Keep me posted. Bridge out." replied Madden. "We're approaching the exit point according to the probes readings Admiral."

"Very well, slow us to one eighth impulse and take us out slowly." ordered Picard.

As the Enterprise slowed the power in the cloaking field surged once more in a massive fashion. EPS conduits began to blow out on several decks injuring some of the crew. To Picard and the others on the bridge it was as if the life of the ship was suddenly snuffed out as both main and secondary power failed and finally, the batteries as well, dropping the ship into total darkness but for the light coming from outside the ship.

"Report!" ordered Picard.

"All power is offline sir. Communications is out. We're sitting ducks!" replied Madden.

At that moment the ship exited the wormhole and entered a new universe for the first time.

Whitestars took up defensive positions and awaited orders from Babylon Five. Some looked on in apprehension as the strange ship drifted slowly toward the station. Several ships from the League of Non-Aligned Worlds began intensive scans of the strange vessel, in hopes of gaining a few secrets for their governments, before they were ordered to stop by Rangers on the Whitestars. The last thing the Rangers wanted to do was provoke an attack from the ship, like that from the probe they had seen earlier.

In engineering, Geordi was growing frustrated with the Cloaking systems. They refused to relinquish their hold on main power and appeared to be fused in the ON position. After a moment of fighting this he rerouted power to the main thrusters and stabilized the ship's movement. He regained helm control and bought the ship to a full stop. Finally he brought communications online and contacted the bridge.

"Report, Mr. LaForge." came Picard's voice over the intercom.

"We're stabilized for the moment Admiral, but we're also visible to the people in this universe. The cloaking device is fused to the main power grid somehow. If I bring main power back online, we'll cloak." he said.

"That's not supposed to be possible is it? The cloak should have just failed and gone offline." said Picard frowning at Madden.

"I don't understand it either sir, but that's how it is at the moment. I should be able to reroute main power, but I'll have to cut the cloaking device completely out of the system. It will take time however, time that we may not have if they decide to attack. As things are now, weapons systems are offline and I can't give you shields or armor at all." said LaForge.

Picard looked at Madden for a moment, "Do what you can Geordi, bring main power online and we'll pull back out of the system under impulse if you can give it to us."

"Warp is definitely out, but I can give you half impulse in two minutes. Bringing main power online… now…" The ships lights fluttered as main power came up and crashed several times. Finally after a swift kick to a relay by LaForge, main power stabilized once more and the ship cloaked.

Kim who had been monitoring the sensors even through the time when power was gone spoke up. "Captain! We're being bombarded with Tachyons from the space station ahead of us. I'm also picking up residual tachyons from the direction of some of the ships in the system. They're on a frequency similar to the scans the probe detected from the planet."

"Are they detecting us still? While we're cloaked?" asked Madden.

"I can't tell yet Commander. If we were move from this position to one farther from the station, I'll be able to get a new reading." replied Kim.

"Mr. Thomas, take us away from the station, course, three one four point nine six two mark seven, engage, one half impulse." ordered Picard.

"Aye sir, course set and engaged. How far shall we go sirs?" asked the Ensign.

"Come to a full stop once we're clear of the system, then come about and await further orders." replied Madden looking to Picard for approval. Picard nodded.

**B5: Sheridan's Office**

"So what do you think they're here for?" asked Sheridan.

"Who knows, but if they can hide their ships like that one, we're in trouble. There could be an entire fleet of those ships out there right now and we'd never know it for certain until they decided to attack. Hell, for all we know they could STAY that way and still attack us with weapons like we've never seen before! Corwin thinks he can perfect his Tachyon scanning technique, but it will take time. The communications grid was never meant to work that way." said Ivanova in frustration. "Like I've said before, this is not a good time for a bad first contact for us. I just hope they don't decide to blow us up!"

Sheridan nodded. "I'll try not to make the mistakes we made with the Minbari, Susan, but things may already too far gone for us too pull out of this without a bloody nose." He looked at the pictures of the strange ship again and blew up one section of the hull. He gasped at what was displayed in perfect English words: USS Enterprise NCC 1701-E. "Have you looked at this?"

Ivanova glanced over his shoulder at the screen and frowned. "A trick? To throw us off?" she pondered aloud.

"Why? For what purpose? No, these markings aren't the only English present. Look over here." he said as he pointed at an apparent hatchway in the hull. "That's got to be a docking port. It's got warnings about gravity and atmosphere contents written clearly all around the perimeter. Why go that much detail just to deceive us somehow?"

"Who knows! I'm just saying that it looks fishy to me, John." replied Ivanova.

Sheridan shared a sober expression with her for a moment. "Alright Susan, but I want to make contact as soon as possible. I don't think they've left the system yet, we haven't detected any Jump Points forming and they didn't use the jumpgate. Tell Corwin to begin broadcasting on broadband. I want a first contact greeting sent in Interlac and in English too."

"Got it. I'll be in C&C if you need me." said Susan as she headed for the door.

Sheridan stared at the pictures again. It was a beautiful design, if alien. He wondered if the strange pylons protruding from the main body of the ship were the jump engines for the vessel and how fast she could move in real space. Was it a match for a Whitestar? He had yet to find a ship that could out run a Whitestar on full burn… Perhaps he was now looking at something that could…

**Enterprise**

Picard stood in Engineering along with Madden and Kim watching as LaForge made the final adjustments to the Main power grid. "That should do it. Thompson, take the Cloak offline."

Ensign Thompson, a young Ensign from Luna did as he was ordered. "Cloak is down sir, according to these readings."

LaForge double-checked his own displays for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Nice work everyone." He turned to Picard and spoke again. "We've analyzed the Tachyons that they're flooding the system with and I think Mr. Kim has the answer sir."

Harry Kim blushed slightly, but took up where Geordi left off. "They're using tachyons for FTL communications sir. I've detected several massive tachyon signals originating from various systems outside of this one and directed towards the station. In addition, I've been able to alter sensors to pick up and decipher these signals. Some appear to be sent in packets like we used when Voyager was in the Delta Quadrant to send letters to our family and loved ones. A different set of frequencies is being used for real time two way communications between star systems."

"So the tachyons we detected being directed at us when we first arrived were attempts to communicate?" asked Picard.

Geordi nodded. "We've determined one frequency in particular is still being directed toward us. They're using our ship's own name in the communiqué. I'll put it on speakers." He adjusted some controls at his main science station and a voice could suddenly be heard on the intercom.

"…ease respond… Repeat, this is Babylon Five Command and Control calling the alien vessel marked as the USS Enterprise, please respond on this frequency. We wish to establish a peaceful first contact with you and your government. Please respond... Repeat, this is…" Geordi cut the link.

"That's the same message we've been receiving for the last hour or so. They're also sending more information on a sub channel, it's the same stuff we used put on our unmanned probes like the Pioneer and Voyager series probes of the twentieth century. Another sub-channel is broadcasting in another language the universal translator is calling Interlac." said Kim.

"Can we respond to this hail Mr. Kim?" asked Picard.

"Yes sir, but it'll be ten minutes before I've completed all the necessary adjustments to our main deflector. It's the only thing we have that can transmit the signal." replied Kim at Picard's frown.

"We'll be on the bridge, please inform us when you're ready to transmit." said Picard as he gestured for Madden to follow him to the turbolift.

**B5: C&C**

In C&C things were tense as they finally began receiving a signal from the edge of the system where they had finally determined the Enterprise had gone. Ivanova was impressed that the ship was so far out of the system when they became visible again on the log range sensors. The signal continued to come in intermittently, weakly at first, but getting stronger as the ship's crew adjusted the signal, boosting it slowly. Apparently they were unfamiliar with using tachyons for communications, something that troubled Ivanova to no end. How else were they going to communicate outside of their own homeworld's system? Old radio frequencies were far too slow even for most in system communications, let alone intergalacticly.

Sheridan stepped into the room and nodded to Ivanova as Corwin made adjustments of his own, trying to boost his receiving power. "So they're trying to talk to us?"

"It looks that way, but their systems are incompatible or nearly so. Hold on, I think that's just about got it…" said Corwin over his shoulder.

On the main screen in the room the signal cleared to reveal a sight that was startling to the crew in C&C. It displayed the image of a large spacious room that looked like something you would find on a luxury liner, not a ship of war. Sheridan glanced at each face of the Enterprise bridge crew and noticed that they all appeared to be human with the notable exception to one being with blue skin seated at one of the two forward positions. He also noted that while the bridge may look harmless, the men manning the stations carried themselves like seasoned warriors. The last thing he noticed as a tall balding man stood and addressed him and his staff was that these people had artificial gravity.

"My name is Admiral Jean-Luc Picard of the starship Enterprise, representing the United Federation of Planets. To whom am I speaking?"

Sheridan, who was impressed that they would send an Admiral for a first contact mission, stepped slightly closer to his screen. "I'm Captain John Sheridan of Babylon Five, formerly of Earthforce and The Earth Alliance." Picard frowned slightly at the word formerly, but held his tongue as Sheridan continued. "On behalf of Babylon Five, The Centuari Republic, The Narn Regime and the League of Non-Aligned Worlds I'd like to offer you and your crew the hospitality of the station."

Picard turned to one of his crewmen for a moment and exchanged a look. A silent communication seemed to pass between them before Picard turned back to the screen. Were they telepaths? "We'd be delighted to accept your invitation Captain Sheridan. When would you like for us to meet in person?"

Sheridan glanced at a clock on the wall above the view screen. "Commander Ivanova, how soon can we have the main reception hall ready for a dinner?"

Ivanova glanced at the same clock and ran some figures through her head. "I can have it ready by 1800 hours, but that's cutting it a bit thin. Let's make it 1900 hours to be safe. If you have no objections Admiral?" she added nervously. She hated having to talk to superiors sometimes.

Picard smiled warmly. "That shouldn't be any trouble at all Commander. If you'd be kind enough to give us your station's time so we can synchronize our time with yours. It would be embarrassing for us to be late for our first encounter."

Sheridan nodded and smiled himself. "Our current time is 0940 hours, 9:40 am station time."

"Thank you Captain Sheridan." Picard said. "I look forward to meeting with you face to face, we have much to discuss."

"Yes we do. Until then Admiral?" said Sheridan inquiringly.

Picard nodded, "Indeed, Enterprise out."

The link between the station and the strange new ship broke off and was replaced with the standard Babcom screen.

Ivanova turned to Sheridan and smirked. "That went well. I was half expecting to see Earthforce uniforms on them. They are hiding something though. I can feel it."

"Why do you say that? The look the Admiral exchanged with that tall hulking man behind him? I have my doubts about them as well. Hopefully this dinner will help to alleviate some of them. You noticed how he frowned when I mention that I was formerly a member of Earthforce? No, I'm done speculating for the moment. We'll honest with them about our situation and see how the cards lay later. You'd better get a move on Susan, lots of preparations to make for our guests." said Sheridan with a smirk of his own.

Susan made a halfhearted effort to swing at him and headed for the door. "You just wait. Once Clark gets wind of this little dinner we're having he'll go fusion."

Sheridan sighed. He knew she was right. Humans from another universe with technologies that were apparently in advance of their own. Yes Clark would definitely go fusion and then, then he would come after what he wanted. But Sheridan wasn't quite ready for an open confrontation yet, not by a long shot…

**Medlab**

Lyta Alexander sat up in her bed suddenly and smiled. Her eyes had returned to normal for the moment, but she knew that she was still going through a change. One that she somehow knew the original Kosh had wanted for her, for all telepaths that were part of the Vorlons plan during the last Shadow War before he was killed and forced the Vorlons to drastically change their plans.

Dr. Hobbs looked up from her desk to see Lyta coming toward her. "Lyta? Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm feeling fine Doctor. Better than fine, in fact I feel perfect. It's like I've finally discovered my true purpose and I'm getting ready for it." Lyta replied with a beaming smile.

Hobbs returned Lyta's smile cautiously and spoke. "I'd like to run more tests to be sure you won't have a relapse. I'd also like to monitor you after you leave for changes in your vitals, that's also in case you have a relapse."

Lyta nodded soberly, "Of course doctor, I'd be happy to comply with anything that will get me out of Medlab quicker…"

Hobbs handed Lyta a modified Link that fitted onto her upper arm and explained. "This link is modified to send your vitals to this station for the analysis I'll be doing. Please wear it at all times. If any major changes occur in your readings a Medlab team will be dispatched to your location. Please keep that in mind while you're wearing it, its new technology, very delicate and very sensitive."

"Yes Doctor, I'll remember. Now can we please get on with these tests you want to finish so I can leave?"

Hobbs grinned, "Sure Lyta, please follow me into Medlab Two."

**Earthdome**

"What are you saying to me Dr. Trent? You were supposed to acquire as much knowledge as you could on that artifact and report your findings to me and your superiors at IPX. Was that too much for me to expect from you? Or should I begin to make good on my threats to your family?" said Clark in an exasperated tone.

Trent seemed to shrink on the monitor and cringed. "I'm saying that artifact was a kind of jumpgate. One that I believed led to another realm of hyperspace, even more compact than the one we're familiar with. Travel there would have been nearly instantaneous from one point to another. Imagine the applications of it Mr. President… But that turned out not to be the case, instead I was only partially correct. It was a jumpgate, but one that led to another UNIVERSE! One that is occupied by a deadly race of telepaths; we were nearly destroyed by them before they even came through the jumpgate! If it hadn't been for Sheridan's quick thinking, I wouldn't be talking to you right now sir."

"Yes, yes, I read your report, but what's this about an anomaly that formed after that traitor blew up MY artifact? Reports are sketchy on this matter. I want a FULL report now doctor…" He left the threat hanging in the air.

Trent swallowed, and began to give Clark everything she knew about the anomaly and the probe that had come through it shortly after its formation…

Several hours later Clark was online with his loyal officers giving them new orders. Shortly after that nearly every available ship under Clark's control was underway…

Their destination, Babylon 5…

**Somewhere on the Rim**

"You have seen it?" asked a robed figure.

Another nodded.

"You must go back and monitor the situation then. Remember the Code. Watch but do not interfere, all must be as it was meant to be. They are about to cross the threshold. Report back to us regularly for further instructions… Go now, and observe our future… old friend."

The other figure nodded, bowed and left without saying a word.

**Centauri Prime**

The Regent cringed on his bed as the Drakh entered his private chambers. "Please, what would you have me do?"

"You will send half of your fleets to these coordinates with only enough men onboard to get them there…"

The Regent balked, "But what are you planning to do with them?" His keeper suddenly constricted around him causing the Regent great pain throughout his body.

"Your will is ours to command. What we do with you and your precious Republic is not open to debate…" The Drakh had nearly spat out the word Republic. "You will know your place, or you will suffer…"

The Regent sighed as the pain receded and moved to his desk. He began to draw up the orders the Drakh had demanded and he secretly prayed to all the Centauri gods in the pantheon that the Drakh's plan would fail. Whatever that plan might be…

**Enterprise-E 1530 Hours**

The time for the informal dinner was drawing closer, so Picard called a meeting to decide who to bring along on this First Contact.

"Mr. Madden, you will remain on the Enterprise and monitor us in case anything should go wrong." Picard held up a hand as his first officer began to protest. "I will be perfectly safe Commander. We've determined that the station doesn't have shields. If need be, I will simply call for transport out of there if things get out of hand, but I will only use that tactic as a last resort. It's another technology that appears to be unknown here.

"Mr. Kim, Mr. Lyson and Dr. Ogawa, you will come with me to the station. Mr. Kim, your job will be to observe their technology and if possible obtain samples for study." ordered Picard.

Kim nodded nervously and said, "Aye sir."

"Mr. Lyson you will act as my body guard while on the station, keep your senses open for any hostile intent and I'm giving you discretion to order a beamout of all of us if you feel time is of the essence and you can't voice a warning." continued Picard as he rattled off more orders.

Lyson also nodded and began to plan for a possible emergency beamout in his head. "Admiral, I recommend we all be implanted with a subspace transceiver. It will make it easier for the transporters to get a lock on us if things go south at the dinner."

Picard thought it over for a moment before nodding, "Dr. Ogawa, please see to it that the transceivers are ready by 1830 hours. All of us will meet in Sickbay at that time. Doctor, I would also like you to learn as much as you can from the Station's doctors. They may have some medical knowledge that we lack."

Ogawa smiled and nodded. "Yes, Admiral. I think they might, at the very least we could obtain data about the many species that populate this part of their universe."

Picard nodded again, "Dismissed." He stood and began heading for the door.

"Admiral, may I have a moment of your time?" asked Madden.

Picard mulled it over for a few seconds before turning and looking at his Number One expectantly.

Madden waited for the room to clear before he spoke. "Admiral, do really think it's wise to be going on this first away mission? The risks are astronomical!"

"Martin, I'll make this as brief and as painless as possible. I'm going, end of discussion…" Picard said rather smartly.

Madden frowned and stood up straighter, "I'm sorry Admiral, but I can't allow that without at least having had more dialogue with these people. For all we know, they could be renegades or pirates! Allow me some time to find out more about them before you go over!"

"Very well Mr. Madden, you have until 1830 hours. If you can find good cause as to make me feel I'm placing the assigned away team and myself at risk by then, I'll abort the mission and politely pull out of the area, if they'll allow us to do so. Does that sound equitable enough for you Commander?"

"Yes sir, I'll get right on it, sir." replied Madden as he moved toward the exit.

Picard waited for him to leave and then he turned back toward the conference room window. Outside, he could see Babylon 5 as it went about its daily routine. Occasionally a ship unlike anything he'd ever seen before would pass by trying to learn about his ship before being politely warned off by a Whitestar that was on guard nearby.

Picard had ordered his crew to cooperate with the Whitestar's Captain so as to avoid possible trouble with overly curious locals.

"And so it begins…" he mumbled to himself.

**1600 hours**

On the Bridge of the Enterprise, Ensign Kirk was reviewing incoming transmissions as various governments from the League of Non-Aligned Worlds and others tried to make contact with the newcomers. He politely diverted all direct incoming calls to a superior officer and began monitoring passive transmissions, in particular a broadcasting signal identified as ISN.

An announcer spoke, "This is an Interstellar Network News special report. Reporting live from the ISN headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, your host, Alison Higgins."

A Black woman appeared on the screen and began to speak. "Good evening, I'm Alison Higgins and you're watching the most popular news network in the galaxy. Today's top stories will be brought to you shortly, but first a special announcement from our friends in Nightwatch." The camera panned out to reveal a familiar face to the young Ensign, sitting at the desk next the reporter. Kirk continued to watch the program with growing alarm, as the show ended he made sure that it had been recorded and then hit his combadge. "Kirk to Admiral Picard."

"Go ahead Ensign." came a reply a few seconds later.

"Admiral, I've just made a rather startling discovery. I have a recording of it. Admiral you should really review this immediately!" Kirk said in a gush.

"Calm down Ensign, I'll be right there." Picard replied.

Kirk played the recording back again to the point where the representative of Nightwatch was displayed. The face of none other than Admiral Hikaru Sulu stared back at him through the ISN camera… No doubt about it, things were about to get really interesting…

**1800 Hours**

Picard looked at the faces of his senior staff after they had reviewed the recording. Ensign Kirk was also present. He had played the recording three times himself before giving in to his doubts at what he was seeing. The former head of Starfleet Academy, a pillar of Starfleet and what it stood for was in this universe, and to make it worse, this Sulu was apparently a member of a Fascist-like organization- Nightwatch. The leader of its recruiting branch no less. It made Picard's stomach turn over. To think that someone who meant so much to the Federation in his universe could be so different in this one was heart wrenching.

"As you've seen things here are not as cozy as we'd like to believe. Captain Sheridan and his crew are in open rebellion with the legal government on the Earth of this universe, however, from what I've been able to see of the program and this ISN network, I believe they are giving out misinformation in an attempt to draw favor away from Sheridan and the other rebelling colonies. The Sulu of this universe is not the same man as our own. He is a member of what I would call a Gestapo branch of EarthForce, Nightwatch."

"'There but for the grace of God', Admiral. In light of this information, will you be aborting the away mission sir?" asked Madden. Kirk had found just what he had feared he would find. A hornet's nest of trouble was waiting for them on Babylon 5.

"No Number One, we will continue as planned. I want to hear Sheridan's side of things before making any decisions. To do otherwise would leave us open just as much to treachery from the government at Earthdome. I want to know exactly what I'm going to be dealing with and I can't do that with just a few minutes of coverage from a propaganda network like this ISN to go on."

Madden frowned but nodded at Picard's logic. Know thy enemy, he thought. "Very well Admiral, but will you at least take more personnel from security?"

Picard sighed and then gave in, "Very well, Mr. Lyson select two of your best men for the away team. Have them join us in Sickbay at 1830 hours as we had planned earlier. Dr. Ogawa, prep two more transceivers. Dismissed."

**Babylon 5**

Finally the time had arrived. A shuttle from the Enterprise was docking with the station and a small crowd of people had gathered at customs to see the newcomers.

Captain Sheridan, Commander Ivanova and Security Chief Zack Allen were waiting to greet them as well, along with enough security to stop a riot if it came to that… Something Sheridan was praying to avoid, at all costs.

The Admiral, Picard was his name thought Sheridan, stepped out of the compact looking vessel and was followed by several more of his ship's crew. All of them appeared to be human, Sheridan noted. Two men who by their stance and build had to be security took up guarding positions at the Shuttle's entrance and stayed there as Picard and the rest of his away team approached Sheridan.

"Captain Sheridan, it's a pleasure to meet you in person," said Picard as he shook Sheridan's hand. "These are a few members of my crew, Mr. Tyler Lyson, my chief of security, Mr. Harry Kim my operations officer, and this is Dr. Alyssa Ogawa, my chief medical officer."

Sheridan nodded to each and shook hands in turn with them as their names were given.

Picard pointed to the two security officers and said, "These are Ensigns James Falk, and Gerald Ford. They will stay here with your permission and guard our shuttle, if you don't mind. Our technology would be quite valuable to some members of your station Captain. I hope it won't be a problem?"

The way Picard had said it made Sheridan's hair stand on end. Picard was not one to be trifled with. "Of course, I would do the same if our situations were reversed sir. May I introduce to you two of my command staff? Commander Susan Ivanova, and Security Chief Zack Allen."

Picard shook hands politely with each and began to look around. "It seems as though things aren't quite what they had ought to be here Captain?" he said as he pointed out several burn marks on the walls and several piles of debris on the floor.

Sheridan sighed a small sigh and replied, "We've had more than our fair share of troubles of late. If you'd follow me, I can give you a fuller explanation at the reception we've put together Admiral."

Picard and the others smiled politely and began to follow Sheridan and his crew.

As they were entering a corner of the Zocalo they were waylaid by a man Sheridan had been avoiding for several days.

"AH! I see our guests from the other side of that monstrosity outside have arrived… Welcome, welcome. I am Ambassador Londo Mollari of the Centauri Republic. I trust your journey here was an uneventful one I suppose yes?"

Sheridan rubbed the bridge of his nose for a moment as Mollari was speaking and then stepped up between Picard and the Centauri. "Londo you weren't invited to this meeting…" he began.

"Not invited? Not invited to the most historic event in recent memory! Phagh! I warn you Captain, you may have your little meeting with these people to yourself for now, but," a threat hung in the air, "I expect to be seeing them myself quite soon… Good day to you, newcomers…" With that Mollari briskly turned and stomped off.

Picard exchanged a look with Commander Lyson who simply shrugged his shoulders before turning to Captain Sheridan. "That was an ambassador? How did that man receive his posting?"

Sheridan grinned and replied, "As I understand it, no one else would accept the posting. Something about us not lasting a year at the time no less. You see the station's only been online for about four years or so now. If we could continue?"

Picard nodded and they all continued down a corridor to what looked like a turbolift to the crew of the Enterprise. After a few minutes travel they arrived at the reception hall and sat.

"I'll start with a brief explanation of what caused the damage you've witnessed and then we can move on from there Admiral." said Sheridan as he stood after taking a drink from a glass in front of him.

Picard smiled and spoke, "Please do. I have a feeling it will be most enlightening for us as well, given the present situation outside."

"Okay then, it all started a week or so ago when I and my second Commander Ivanova were out dealing with some raiders. We had just finished with our trap and Commander Ivanova was heading back here when she picked up an object on her Starfury's sensors. It was big. So big in fact that we had to reposition the jumpgate's pylons to their maximum range in order to bring it through to B5 space. It had been in Hyperspace for years, centuries, hell for millennia when we found it. It was a gateway we had found. One that led to another space than Hyperspace, call it a Thirdspace if you like. We had just begun to study it when a transport ship from IPX came through the jumpgate and asked for access to the artifact."

Picard held up his hand. "Please, could you go a little slower, you're using some terms that are foreign to us. For instance, what exactly is a jumpgate? Or IPX?"

Sheridan and Ivanova exchanged looks. This was going to be a long night.

**Enterprise-E**

Picard sat down at his desk in his ready room aboard the Enterprise and sighed. It had taken Sheridan and Ivanova several hours to explain all of the events surround the Vorlon built gate and who and what was entailed within those events. Near the end of the meeting Picard had finally asked for all the data that the station had accumulated on the artifact and the wormhole from this end. After a bit of negotiating for aid for the somewhat beleaguered resources of the station, Sheridan had given them as much as he could minus what Trent had given him and simply lied and said she had skipped out on him before he could get his share of information on the Thirdspace Gate.

Lyson had nudged Picard at that and shook his head slightly, something most people would have missed, but not Ivanova. She had observed Lyson like a hawk during the entire dinner and following meeting with a growing suspicion that was fully realized at that point.

"He's a teep!" she had accused and Picard had by that point seen no reason to deny it. He hadn't seen anything about how telepaths were treated in her universe by that point in time, but Lyson had noted how Ivanova had observed him from the beginning and so he spoke before Picard could.

"I am, what of it? So are you…"

Ivanova had looked like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar for all of half a second before she had drawn her PPG and pointed the business end at Lyson. "Stay. Out. Of. My. Head!"

"I assure you Commander, I haven't been 'inside your head' as you put at all. I simply deduced that you were like me from your reactions to my body language with Admiral Picard. My race has strict rules about reading other people's thoughts without their permission, it's considered to be quite rude in fact." Lyson replied holding up his hands to show his intent not to harm her.

Ivanova had mulled over what he said for another full second before Sheridan spoke. "Susan, put your weapon away, that's an order Commander…" He tried to put as much authority as he could into his voice.

Reluctantly she had complied, but not before hitting her link and calling for Lyta Alexander to come to the reception hall.

Sheridan had nodded with approval at that and sat back down as though nothing had happened, though he did talk much less and his stress level was obviously higher than it had been.

Lyta had arrived and to Sheridan's shock walked over to Lyson and hugged him. For several minutes after that they had simply stared at each other as the rest of the room's occupants exchanged uneasy looks.

Finally, Commander Lyson had turned to Picard and spoken, "We can trust them Admiral, implicitly…"

Picard was naturally skeptical as were Sheridan and Ivanova.

"You can trust us, but can WE trust you?" Ivanova had asked.

Lyta had smiled at Susan reassuringly and simply said one word. "Yes."

Susan had slowly begun to relax after that and after more discussion another meeting was set up for the following day. This meeting would be a public address to the Council on B5 and to the public in general, at Picard's request.

Shortly thereafter Picard and the others said their farewells and left. Looking back on it now Picard was still confused about a great many things. Who was this Lyta Alexander and what part did she have to play in what was going on here?

He finally boiled down to what it always did during First Contact missions, issues of trust. Picard knew he had made a decision that could change the face of two universes, he hoped his decision would be the right one…

**Babylon 5**

Captain John Sheridan sighed as he entered his quarters and called for the lights. As they flickered on he sat on his couch and undid the front of his uniform and put his feet up.

Today had been a very eventful day and now he was truly exhausted. So exhausted that he fell asleep in a matter of seconds… and thus missed the flash of white light that occurred near him.

A figure dressed much as Admiral Picard had been bent over Sheridan and whispered something into his ear. Then the man laid his right hand on John's forehead. The hand glowed for a few minutes and then returned to a semblance of normalcy. The figure snapped his fingers and with another flash he was gone. A smug smile on his face…

**TBC**


End file.
